


Pick Me

by thief_nim



Category: EXO (Band), Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Platonic Female/Female Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-23 15:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7468353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thief_nim/pseuds/thief_nim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From ninety-nine trainees to nine, the proud nation of South Korea is creating the next big girl group.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pick Me

**Author's Note:**

> **reposted from girlexochange**
> 
> I made some changes to supposed debut songs (*coughs* mamamoo), the concepts… everything, but I hope everyone still enjoys it!
> 
> Lu Hua is now Lu Huan bc the meaning of her name flows better this way!

As Baehee clicked ‘Publish’ on her latest YouTube video, she let out a sigh, leaning back in her computer chair. She’d had her channel for a good five years, and she had gained a more than decent following. The teen had started out covering songs and dances from her favorite artists, but she had added the occasional vlog and makeup tutorial two years earlier because of the overwhelming amount of requests she had received. Apparently, the secret to her eye makeup was the eighth wonder of the world.

Baehee was proud of all that she had accomplished on her own, but she still wasn’t satisfied with where she was. She had been auditioning for different entertainment companies, big and small, for _years_ , but for whatever reason, her success online couldn’t quite translate to the real world.

Not one company had accepted her.

It was hardly a matter of her skill at this point, it was a matter of her _pride_. She knew she was talented, she knew that she had what it took to be an idol, but no company had ever given her the time of day at auditions. She wasn’t trying to be arrogant, but it made no sense to her. Lots of companies debuted groups that had a weaker member, but not one of them could find a place for her?

It was stupid to keep dwelling on it, Baehee knew, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it was she was lacking.

“Baehee, mail for you!”

With a groan, she swiveled her chair around and headed downstairs. 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I don’t want to go in.”

“Seyun, we kind of _have_ to go in,” Chanyeon replied with sigh.

The two had been called out of their dance lessons to speak privately with the CEO of their company. Genius Entertainment, while not big by any stretch of the imagination, was known for only debuting female acts over the years and showing preference for hiring female staff members. Seeing a male walking around the building was a rarity, and most didn’t stay long. The CEO, Bae Haneul, was known as the maknae of one of Korea’s first successful girl groups, Rebelle. After their split in early 2001, she had opened her own company and gone solo at twenty years old. Despite expectations for her to slowly fade away, Haneul had built up Genius Entertainment to be a company in which young women could build careers in the entertainment industry without having to ever think of relying on sponsors. Although she was only thirty-five, Haneul had made it known that she was a strong-willed woman who never let her staff and talent be taken advantage of, and anything she wanted, she got.

While they had wasted no time in getting themselves to the main building, the two girls were awkwardly standing outside of their CEO’s door because the younger of the two was worried. “But what if she’s going to kick us out?” Seyun asked in return, her face full of nervousness. “All of our projects keep getting scrapped, and we’ve already been here for four years—”

“Seyun, breathe,” Chanyeon put her hands on the younger’s shoulders. “She’s not going to kick us out of the company.” Sure, the thought had crossed her mind after a few… less than promising evaluations, but there were two months until she would hit five years in the company and only one month left for Seyun. Genius wouldn’t keep them that long without reason, would they? She shook her head, “You’re too good of a dancer for that, and I like to think that I don’t absolutely suck at singing enough to get booted out.”

“But _my_ singing…” Seyun looked down.

“It’s getting better,” Chanyeon gave her a reassuring smile. “The only thing holding you back is your confidence, but I believe in you.”

Seyun gave her a small smile, “…Thanks.”

“No problem,” Chanyeon grinned. “Ready?” At Seyun’s silent nod, she knocked on the door.

  

  

 

☆

 

 

_“Are you sure you’re going to be okay by yourself?”_

Lu Huan rolled her eyes at the concern, “Yes, Mom, I’m sure. Besides, it’s not just me, Yixiu said she’s going to be on the show too.”

_“Yixiu isn’t in the same company as you though. None of the girls you recorded with will be coming over from Beijing to participate with you.”_

“Well, yeah, that’s because I’m already here for school, and I’m one of the only trainees at Ringleader that can speak Korean,” she explained calmly. “It’s not going to be that bad, really. And maybe a Korean company will pick me up after it’s all over.”

_“Huan, we already talked about this…”_

Lu Huan frowned, “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? To find a more stable company?” Why else would she leave her family and move to Korea almost immediately after graduating? Sure, she already belonged to a company back in China, but she hadn’t really done anything with them yet. In hopes of keeping her closer to home, her parents had convinced her to join the company in her final year of high school, and she’d recorded some songs with a group of girls, but none of them had been released.

She was getting impatient, and so she had moved to Korea in hopes of finding a better training system. She was still under a contract with her company, but because she was in Korea, she couldn’t do much with them. However, that quickly changed when she had gotten word that she would be representing Ringleader in a Korean survival show with too many trainees to count. She didn’t know how many foreign companies would be participating, but she knew she would stand out because there couldn’t possibly be that many. That was a good thing though.

_“Yes, that is why you’re there, and your father and I will continue to support you.”_

She smiled, “Thanks… I won’t let you down, I promise.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Not that I’m worried, but how young do you think everyone’s going to be?” Minseon asked as she knelt down to tighten her laces.

Yixiu snorted softly as she marked her choreography in front of the mirrors, “You sound pretty worried to me.” At the severely unimpressed look the elder girl gave her, Yixiu simpered in reply. “You’re only nineteen, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“She’s twenty, you’re thinking in Chinese again,” Kyungsoon informed her, stretching off to the side, out of Yixiu’s way.

“Okay, but still,” Yixiu persisted. “At least you’re not twenty- _five_.”

Minseon rolled her eyes, “I feel so blessed.”

“Your youth is a precious time you’re supposed to treasure,” Yixiu gave a sagely nod. “You are very blessed indeed.”

Minseon chuckled, “I guess you’re right.” She headed over to the sound system, “But if I want to actually enjoy my youth, I need to debut before I turn twenty-five, so we need to practice for the company evaluations. I don’t want to be stuck in this dungeon until my thirties.”

SPY Entertainment rarely debuted new acts. The timing of trainees who joined the company had to be near perfect, or they would be stuck as trainees forevermore. Minseon may not have been old, but she knew she was nearing the peak age for debut, and she didn’t want to miss it. There was talk of the next SPY girl group debut coming up, and if she was passed over, Minseon didn’t know what she would do. She had joined the company a few months after the previous girl group had debuted, three years earlier, and she knew that the next group would probably be her last chance with her current company.

“Minseon-eonnie, you can start whenever you’re ready,” Kyungsoon said, bringing the elder out of her thoughts. She and Yixiu were already in place, waiting for Minseon to join them.

“… Yeah, right, sorry about that,” Minseon blinked owlishly as she returned to reality. She turned on the sound system and skipped to their evaluation song. In the few seconds before the music started, she found her place amongst the other two, determined to perfect the performance.

SPY’s newest girl group might be her last chance, but it wasn’t her _only_ chance. This show was another chance to debut, and she wasn’t going to let it out of her grasp.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“You should probably lay off a little, Jongmi.”

“I can’t afford to, you know that,” the other girl replied as she stretched after practice. “Our evaluation has to be perfect.”

“Do you want your waist to give out before we get there?” Junmae looked at the other girl in concern as she gathered her things. “It’s one thing to represent our company well, and it’s another thing to die trying.”

Jongmi laughed, “I’m not going to _die_.” When Junmae continued to look at her pointedly, she sighed. “Really, I’m fine. There’s no way my waist will give me any trouble during the show. I’ve been doing all my stretches, and I’ve got more than enough heat patches.” She smiled at the other warmly, “Thank you for caring though. I appreciate it.”

“Kim Jongmi, I have known you for five years,” Junmae said. “If I didn’t care about you, who else would?”

“Monggu would care about me,” Jongmi nodded sagely.

Junmae snorted, “That’s because you feed him.” She walked over to the younger girl and offered her a hand, “Speaking of food, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving, and I bet you are too.” When Jongmi looked unsure, Junmae yanked her up onto her feet. “Come on, living up to the illustrious Crown Entertainment makes you work up an appetite. I’m buying.”

Jongmi followed the older girl out of the dance studio, still running through their performance for the evaluation in her head. Everything had to be perfect because they were from Crown, and if the articles that had started circulating held any truth to them, they were going to be the biggest company showing up. All eyes would be on them whether or not they wanted it to happen, and Jongmi _really_ didn’t want it to happen. Unfortunately, heavy is the head that wears the crown, and everyone would be looking to see if they could bear its weight.

Jongmi really hoped they could.

 

  

 

☆

 

 

The first day of filming came faster than Jonghae had expected it to. When she had first received the invitation in the mail, she hadn’t believed it. Joining a survival show had never been on her bucket list, but she wasn’t about to turn the opportunity down. She wanted to debut more than anything, and even if she would be going on the show without a company backing her, she would do her best. Even if she couldn’t make it into the final lineup, maybe she could get enough exposure through the show that she could join a company.

After she did an introduction interview that she was sure wouldn’t be aired, Jonghae wandered over to the hallway leading to the main filming area. Stopping at the mirror right before the entrance, she gave her clothes one last look over before giving a determined look to her reflection, “You can do this.”

Walking into the filming area, she was shocked to see the plethora of girls sitting in a pyramid formation. Bowing awkwardly and giving a greeting to the large group, Jonghae scanned the rows for a seat she could take. Her eyes caught someone waving at her from the upper rows, and she gaped. “… Byun Baehee?”

Perched comfortably in a studded _3_ chair, Baehee beckoned her to up the empty _2_ chair next to her. Jonghae honestly didn’t know the other girl that well, but she would accept any familiarity she could get with open arms. Wearing a grateful smile, she quickly climbed the stairs to the top and sat next to the other girl.

“You have no idea how glad I am that you showed up,” Baehee said, letting out a relieved sigh. “There aren’t as many individual trainees here as I thought there would be.”

“You’re the only person I recognize, so I have to say the same,” Jonghae admitted. With a shy smile, she added, “Your Oh My Girl cover was amazing, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Baehee gave a laugh. She nudged the other playfully, “I felt like I was in heaven when I listened to your cover of ‘Breathe.’ I had it looped for days.”

Jonghae flushed, “That means a lot coming from you, Baehee.”

The other snorted in reply, “It really shouldn’t. You’re just as good as I am,” Baehee nodded. She shrugged, “I’ve just been doing it longer.”

Before Jonghae could reply, a girl walking past them caught her eye. She and Baehee both turned to see the girl go past their row up to the small sofa marked _1_. The girl gave them a small smile before bowing to the large group of girls staring up at her. “It’s the only seat left, so I guess I’ll just sit here…” Her cheeks were red as she sat down, trying to avoid everyone’s eyes.

“When I walked in, I told myself I was going to sit there, but then, I got too nervous,” Baehee admitted to Jonghae sheepishly. She turned back to the girl and gave her a friendly smile, “I’m Byun Baehee, and you must be bravery incarnate.”

The girl shook her head, letting out an awkward laugh, “Not really, I was just the last one to get here.”

Jonghae raised a brow when she heard her voice, “Are you Korean?”

She shook her head again, “Nope, I’m from China.”

Baehee’s eyes widened, “People are coming in all the way from _China?_ Being an individual trainee doesn’t seem that bad anymore,” she laughed. “Your Korean is basically perfect though! I can barely tell you have an accent.”

“Thanks, I went to an international school back in Beijing,” she smiled. “By the way, my name’s Lu Huan.”

“I’m Jonghae, nice to meet you,” she smiled at the other brightly.

“The three of us should stick together if we can,” Baehee told the other two. “It’ll be nice to know that someone has our back, don’t you think?”

Lu Huan nodded, “We should… Uh, how old are you guys?” she asked curiously. “I’m twenty.”

“Ah, LuHuan-eonnie!” Baehee’s eyes went wide, and she bowed sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot to ask.” She gestured between herself and Jonghae, “We’re both eighteen.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lu Huan laughed. “We’re all nervous on the first day.”

Jonghae grinned as Baehee continued to apologize. Her nerves were slowly fading away, and she didn’t feel lonely anymore. Maybe going on a survival show wouldn’t be that bad.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Does anyone else think Kim Dojung is kind of… needlessly greasy?” Minseon whispered. Even though their mics had been removed when they went to go change for the company evaluations, she could never be too careful.

“Me,” Kyungsoon whispered back. She made a face, “I thought it would be an all-female training staff.” She had nothing against male trainers, but female idols and trainers that had been in the industry for such a long time would obviously have different insight on girl groups than their male counterparts.

“This isn’t Genius,” Minseon replied with a snort. “Bae Haneul as the mentor would have been amazing though. She’s been in the industry as long as Yixiu’s been _alive_.”

“They tried to make her the main mentor, but she wanted to put trainees on the show instead,” Yixiu shrugged. “Not even Mnet can get in her way.”

“True,” Minseon sighed wistfully, “she’s such a badass.”

Yixiu nodded in agreement, “She really is. The trainers are cool though. How often do Kahi and BoA teach dance classes?”

“We’re also getting Jea and Solji as vocal trainers,” Kyungsoon added. Solji would be strict, but the SPY maknae couldn’t wait to learn from someone who knew both failure and success. “Cheetah is teaching rap… this lineup is amazing.” She looked to the older girls, “We have to get sorted together though.”

“Definitely,” Minseon nodded. At the very least, she didn’t want Kyungsoon to be sorted alone. The other girl was incredibly sweet, but she was also incredibly quiet, and Minseon didn’t know how well she would do on her own. “Even if it’s an individual ranking, I’m sure we’ll get put in the same place.”

Yixiu made a face, “The grading scale is kind of… It makes me feel like a piece of meat.”

Minseon sighed in reply, “When we debut, I doubt the netizens will be any kinder to us.” 

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“You’re playing guitar for the company evaluations?”

Chanyeon looked up from her tuning to see a girl from… she didn’t know what company looking down at her curiously. Her eyes flicked down to the giant nametag, _Big Hit, Kim Taehee_. Judging by her clothes, they were probably going to be doing some sort of hip-hop number. “Ah, yeah,” she nodded. “We’re doing two songs, and I’m playing for the first one.”

“Taehee, come on, we’re next!”

“I’m coming!” She glanced towards the rest of her company members before looking back at Chanyeon and giving her a wide grin, “That’s really cool! Good luck!”

“Oh, thanks!” Chanyeon grinned widely at the other girl, glad to know that there were trainees who weren’t too focused on the competition to be nice to everyone else. “Good luck with your evaluation, I think hip-hop concepts are really cool, especially if girls do them.”

“Thanks,” Taehee grinned widely, “Our trainers always say I have the voice for it, but I’m not sure to be honest,” she laughed, her smile wide and bright. “I’ve got to go, but seriously, good luck,” she said again, giving Chanyeon a thumbs up before going over to the rest of her company trainees.

The Genius trainee resumed tuning her guitar, plucking at the strings carefully. She idly wondered what was taking Seyun so long in the bathroom. Other trainees were starting to give her weird looks… It probably wasn’t the best idea to park herself outside the bathroom door, but she knew Seyun would get even more nervous if she didn’t see the other when she came out. It was a few more minutes before Seyun came out, a pout on her face.

“I cut my finger on my nametag,” she showed her pinky to the other girl. “I don’t even know how it happened, but it did.” When Chanyeon beckoned her closer, Seyun sighed as she knelt down next to the other, “Do you think this is a sign that I’m not supposed to be here?”

“Nope, it’s a sign that you are too pure for this cold, dark world,” Chanyeon replied with ease, inspecting the papercut. She reached into her guitar case and took out a band-aid. After gently putting it on Seyun’s pinky, she gave the younger girl a smile, “You’ll be fine, don’t worry about it, Seyunnie.”

Seyun looked at band-aid covered in rilakkuma carefully before frowning at Chanyeon, “What if people are mean?”

“There are mean people everywhere, you just have to ignore them,” Chanyeon said purposefully. “I already met another trainee, and she seemed like a nice person.”

“… Was she _really_ nice?”

“Really nice,” Chanyeon gave a smile as she nodded. “Her company is performing soon if you want to watch her. They’re doing a hip-hop concept. I bet it’s going to be really cool.” Concepts had always been interesting to Chanyeon. Her first concept at Genius had been an idol band, but that had ultimately been scrapped due to trainees leaving the company. After that, she had tried multiple concepts, most of them with Seyun. Although the two hadn’t been in the same projects from the very beginning, the two had met by chance within a week of Chanyeon joining the company and instantly hit it off.

Seyun mulled over Chanyeon’s answer before nodding, “…We can go watch her.”

Chanyeon grinned and put her guitar in its case. Taking Seyun’s hand, she led the younger girl over to the main set so they could watch the performances.

  

 

 

☆

 

 

Lu Huan was more nervous than she was willing to let on. What if her mother was right? What if she was in over her head? She knew she was talented, but that wasn’t everything the trainers would be looking at. They would be looking at the fact that she was Chinese, and she wondered how that would affect things. It wasn’t that she thought she would get an F ranking. That would be too blatant, but what if they were just rude to her simply because she was born somewhere else?

She shook her head, getting rid of the negative thoughts before she stepped out onto the set. Walking to the X, she caught Baehee and Jonghae each flashing her a thumbs up from their places at the top of the pyramid, and she let out a deep breath. She wasn’t alone.

Giving a low bow, she introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Ringleader trainee, Lu Huan.”

There was a deafening silence as people took in her name, connecting the dots.

“Lu Huan... you’re Chinese?” Dojung asked. Why he didn’t just look at her profile, Lu Huan couldn’t fathom. “Where are you from?”

“I was born in Beijing, but I study here, at Seoul Arts,” Lu Huan said carefully, focusing on her pronunciation. She knew that it was near flawless, but there was no way people wouldn’t try to pick her apart, and they would start from how well she spoke the language.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Wow… there are foreigners here too?” Junmae whispered to Jongmi, eyes wide. “That’s amazing…”

“And terrifying…” Jongmi whispered back. “You’re basically representing your _country_ , forget about painting your company in a positive light. Even if she lives and studies here, that’s not going to make things any easier for her.” She made a face, “She has to be perfect, but not perfect enough for them to think she’s looking for an easy ride.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“They’re going to eat her alive,” Kyungsoon frowned in disapproval.

“Wouldn’t you?” Yixiu deadpanned.

Kyungsoon gave the older girl a careful look, “I know you didn’t mean that the way it came out because you’re her friend, but please explain your logic anyway.”

“I get it, and it makes sense no matter how borderline racist it is,” Minseon sighed. “What do you think it looks like when a _Chinese_ girl being represented by a _Chinese_ company comes in and tries to debut in a girl group that’s supposed to showcase the best _Korea_ has to offer?”

“She goes to school here,” Kyungsoon pointed out. “We wanted her in the country one way or another.”

“I know, but think about how terrible netizens can be, Kyungsoon,” Yixiu said. “You and Minseon-eonnie might not have a problem with it, and I might think that it would be amazing if either of us made it into the final lineup, but I also know that a lot of people are going to pissed if we even get close…” She nodded to herself, “We both know that.”

“Are you worried about her?” Minseon asked.

Yixiu shook her head, “Jie’s too talented for them to just ignore her.” A smile ghosted across her lips, “They can be as judgmental as they want towards her, but they’re going to eat their words.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“What is the training system in China like?” Solji looked at Lu Huan expectantly.

“It’s nothing like the Korean training system at all…” Lu Huan was sheepish. “There isn’t even a training system. You join a company, and you put out music.” The trainer’s expression quickly morphed into annoyance at the reply, and Lu Huan winced. That was a bad answer, a very bad answer. Now, they probably all thought she arrogant, and that wasn’t going to be of any help to her. She tried to back track, “That’s why I’m here though. I’ve always wanted to learn from a traditional training system.”

“Do you honestly think you will be able to join a Korean girl group?” Dojung asked. “You do have visuals that will easily fit this group’s concept, but you’re in a sea of almost one hundred girls with not only visuals, but also the fluency necessary for debut.”

Lu Huan doubted her accent was worse than Yixiu’s was, but she buried the thought under a blinding smile, “I’ll do my best to prove I deserve to debut.”

Her performance wasn’t necessarily hip-hop, but it was something that didn’t suit the fairy-like features of the Chinese girl at first glance. However, Lu Huan still knew she could perform the song without fail. And she did, relishing in the way the faces of the trainers morphed to shock and then mild shame as Lu Huan not only went through performance, but went through it with ease. She smiled, winked, and hit every point she wanted to hit, and when the song was over, she grinned widely as she stood on the X again, looking at the judges in anticipation.

“... I bet you just changed the minds of every single person watching right now.” Dojung chuckled to himself. “This is why you don’t judge people before you know them.”

“Your pronunciation was much better than I expected it to be,” Jea admitted.

“Your dancing was solid, there’s no doubt in your talent.” Boa nodded with a smile.

“Of course there is always room for improvement,” Solji said, “but you did very well for someone without the traditional method of training,”

“Ringleader trainee, Lu Huan... B.”

Lu Huan smiled brightly as she bowed to the trainers, “Thank you.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Chanyeon and Seyun bowed together, “We’re the Genius Entertainment trainees.”

“Park Chanyeon and Oh Seyun...” Dojung smiled as he looked them up and down. “You both have very good visuals,” he decided with a nod.

“Good visuals aren’t enough to do well in this competition,” Kahi pointed out. She gave a curious glance to Chanyeon’s guitar. “Are you going to play that or use it as a prop?”

“Uh, play it, I hope that’s okay...” Chanyeon trailed off quietly. It was a weird choice to play guitar, she was well aware. Despite that, their CEO had asked Chanyeon why she and Seyun weren’t performing one of her original songs when they had shown the woman their evaluation performance. It wasn’t that Chanyeon lacked confidence in the songs she had written, she actually loved to play them for her friends and family. Playing them on a broadcast was very new and very different, so she originally opted out, but their CEO was known to make top producers tremble in fear. Taking on an eighteen-year-old was child’s play.

Kahi looked down at their profiles, frowning as she did so, “It says here that you were originally training to be in a band? For two years?” She raised a brow at Chanyeon, “The group we’re creating is going to be a traditional girl group. You need to be able to dance.”

“Um, yeah, I know?”

“Are you telling us that or asking us that?” Cheetah asked in amusement.

“Telling?” Chanyeon squeaked out a guess. This wasn’t going as well as she was hoping it would, not in the slightest. She looked to Seyun, and the younger girl had her lips tightly shut, and her eyes were brimming with nerves. Chanyeon knew Seyun wanted the evaluation to be over with as much as she did, but they couldn’t do that until they got to their performance. She gave a low bow, “I’ll do my best to represent my company well.”

Dojung laughed loudly, “Well go ahead and show us then.”

The two bowed again, and Chanyeon sat down in the chair provided by the staff. She met eyes with Seyun briefly before taking a deep breath and starting to play. Chanyeon sang the majority of the song, her fingers plucking the strings skillfully. Although Seyun didn’t sing as much as the trainers probably would have liked her to, her body naturally moved to the music, and her movements were sharp, yet elegant. The performance played to their strengths, and hid their weaknesses as best as it possibly could. When they finished, Chanyeon set her guitar aside as the music changed, and the two performed a short dance together.

After they performed and the trainees clapped, Chanyeon and Seyun stood before the trainers nervously, waiting to receive their marks.

“I’ve never heard the first song before,” Dojung said. “Did you write it, Chanyeon?” She nodded quickly, and he gave an amused smile, “Pretty visuals and a talented songwriter. I think you’ll do well on this show.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeon bowed, flushing at the compliment.

“Your voice has a unique quality to it. High notes might not be your specialty, but high notes aren’t everything,” Jea shrugged. “You have a very sweet voice, and it’s easy to listen to. Your harmonies with Seyun were also spot on.”

“Your dancing needs work though,” Kahi pointed out. “You’re not terrible, but there is an obvious difference in skill.”

Chanyeon winced at the critique, but she nodded in understanding. She knew her dancing wasn’t that great, especially next to Seyun’s. She could work on that though. All that mattered was not getting sorted into F, “Yes, I understand.”

“Oh Seyun?”

“Y-yes?” She looked at the trainers with wide eyes.

“Your specialty is obviously dance,” Boa nodded. “Your movements looked like they were effortless, and you followed Chanyeon’s playing well. You do have room to grow, but as one of the youngest contestants on the show, you should be proud of how well you did.” She smiled at the girl, “Continue to work hard, Seyunnie.”

Seyun bowed, properly flustered, “I will, thank you!”

“Your singing…” Solji looked over her notes before giving Seyun a scrutinizing gaze, “I noticed a distinct difference in the line distribution. Adding onto that, you seem to have a very soft voice, so you need to work on projecting. However, do you want to know what the most common thing I noted about your voice was? Pronunciation.”

When Seyun seemed to shrink at the word, Jea spoke up, “Seyun-ah… do you have a speech impediment?”

She flushed brilliantly in response, her cheeks turning pink as she gave a wary nod.

“I thought I heard it during your introduction,” she nodded in understanding. “Some people will find that endearing, but you still need to work on your pronunciation.” Jea gave her a pointed look, “How can a song convey a message if the words you’re singing aren’t able to be understood?”

“… It can’t be conveyed well,” Seyun resisted the urge to slump in defeat.

“No, it cannot,” Jea shook her head. “You are lacking compared to Chanyeon, but it’s nothing that cannot be fixed. You need to continue to work hard, okay?”

Seyun nodded, her cheeks still pink with embarrassment. “I will.”

“And now for the grades,” Dojung said, “Park Chanyeon… you have a strong musicality, and your vocals are above average, but your dance is below average… C. Oh Seyun, your dance is above average with only more room to grow, but your vocals are below average… C.”

The girls bowed together and left to receive their letters. When they were finally backstage, Seyun slumped in relief, “I never thought I would be so happy to get a C.”

Chanyeon gave her a playful nudge as they received their matching letters, “Is this the first time math genius Oh Seyun has gotten anything less than an A?” At the look the other gave her, Chanyeon gave a laugh, “Seriously, I’m just glad it’s not an F…” Chanyeon said as she stuck the letter onto her name tag. “I don’t know what I would have done if we’d gotten F’s…”

“I _really_ thought I was going to get an F,” Seyun said quietly, smoothing the bold, black C onto her name tag.

“There was no way you were going to get an F,” Chanyeon said with a snort. “Seriously, you dance too well for that, and your voice isn’t even that bad. We’ll totally move up next time.” Seyun merely sighed, and Chanyeon frowned at the lack of a reply. However, she didn’t say anything as the two walked back to their seats.

As they reached the entrance, they paused when a short girl locked in on one of them. “You’re Seyun, right?” She paused before giving a short laugh, “Obviously, you are, that was a dumb question.” She smiled at the other girl, “Your dancing was really good, it was like, _so_ smooth. You looked awesome.”

Seyun stared in surprise before giving a shy smile, “…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Her smile widened into a grin. She looked to Chanyeon, “It was really cool that you played the guitar for the evaluation, and you even composed the song all by yourself! That’s seriously cool,” she nodded earnestly. “I’ve always wanted to play the guitar, but I can only play piano.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeon smiled at the other, her eyes darting down to the name tag the other was wearing. At the Individual Trainee designation, she raised mentally raised a brow. What exactly did that mean? Did she audition to be on the show without a company backing her?

She was going to ask the girl what her nametag meant, but she spoke again, “I should probably get going, my evaluation is soon.”

“Are you on your own?” Chanyeon asked.

“Yep, wish me luck!” The other winked before heading to the waiting area. 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“They were nice… I hope they don’t get eliminated,” Baehee mused quietly as she wandered into the waiting area backstage. She gave a small snort, “I’m saying that like I’m guaranteed a spot in the final lineup.” Baehee knew that she didn’t have anything guaranteed. Even though she had lots of subscribers, they had only followed her because she had covered songs of their favorite idol groups. If anything, they would probably stay loyal to the company of those idols if trainees from that company were on the show. That meant she would have to win people over. Great.

When she got the signal, Baehee walked to the taped X in front of the trainers. With a low bow, she introduced herself, “I’m Individual Trainee, Byun Baehee.”

Almost immediately, the whispers started, voices wondering what she was doing there if she couldn’t even get into a company. However, Baehee couldn’t bring herself to be bothered.

“Byun Baehee…” Dojung looked over her profile, “You’re on YouTube?”

“Yep,” Baehee nodded with a smile, “I post videos of myself singing and dancing.”

“It says here you have more than half a million subscribers,” he continued, giving her a wink, “It seems like you’re guaranteed a spot in this group, don’t you think?”

“Not at all,” Baehee shook her head.

Cheetah raised a brow, “It’s okay to be humble, but don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

Baehee shook her head again, “Nope.” She gestured to the group of girls behind her, “I sing covers and dance to the choreography of groups that belong to the same companies as the rest of the trainees here.” With a laugh, she continued, “In all honesty, I bet my subscribers will want to support them more than me.”

“Do you think you can turn them to your side?” Boa asked.

“I’m going to try regardless,” Baehee gave a determined nod.

“That’s what we like to hear,” Jea snickered. “Go ahead.”

Baehee took a step back, and gave a nod to the sound engineers. As the instrumental filled the room, eyes widened, and Baehee held back her grin, instead focusing on her performance. It was barely a minute of the song, but Baehee knew that all eyes and ears were going to be on her. It wasn’t the wisest idea to sing Taeyeon’s solo debut, but as Baehee cleared the high note cleanly, she knew she had made the right decision. Continuing to a flawless ending, Baehee had a grin on her face as her own voice came over the speakers and she danced along to the chorus of her “Genie” cover.

If she was being honest, Baehee would admit there was a reason why she had chosen to do that dance. Most of her subscribers had initially come from that cover, so she hoped people watching would recognize her and vote for her… that was, if they aired her evaluation on the show. She wondered how that would work out with over 30 different evaluations, but regardless, Baehee would be bitter if she got cut from the first episode. She deserved at least one clip dammit.

Thoughts aside, she finished the performance with a smile on her face and went to stand before the trainers to the tune of her fellow trainees’ applause. She gave a triumphant grin as she basked in the praise. _I’m definitely getting airtime._

“…Wow,” Dojung said. “I will admit that I did not expect that.” He shook his head in amazement, “Are you sure you don’t belong to a company?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Baehee nodded, giving an awkward laugh. It was a bit of a sore spot.

“How?” Solji asked. “Your voice alone is solo material.”

“Thank you,” Baehee beamed, bowing gratefully.

“I have no major criticism for your dance,” Boa said. “It has a very well-known point, but you did it with confidence and skill,” she gave Baehee a smile, “Great job.”

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice the theme in your performance,” Dojung gave her an amused look, “You’re a fan of Girls’ Generation?”

Baehee’s eyes lit up, “A really big fan! I love Girls’ Generation, they’re amazing and beautiful and talented and—” she cut herself off, grinning sheepishly, “They’re my favorite idol group.”

“And Taeyeon is your favorite member?” Boa couldn’t help but smile warmly at Baehee’s excitement, “You sang ‘I’ very well. I’m sure she would be impressed if she heard it.”

Baehee bowed once again, her grin becoming even wider, “I really appreciate that, thank you”

“Well, I think we’re all in agreement here,” Dojung said. “Individual trainee, Byun Baehee… A.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Jonghae took it back, she was nervous. This was a terrible idea, and she should have never done this show. Okay, maybe she was over reacting, but now that she was waiting to go on for her evaluation, she didn’t know what she had gotten herself into. However, she took a deep breath and walked over to the small X. With a deep bow, she introduced herself, “I’m individual trainee, Kim Jonghae.”

“Ah… another YouTuber,” Dojung nodded as he looked over her profile. “Do you think your subscribers will support you?”

“I mean, obviously, I hope they do,” Jonghae said, “but I won’t hold it against them if they vote for trainees from the same company as their favorite idols,” she smiled easily. “It says a lot about you if you can get into a company. Auditions aren’t easy,” she shook her head.

“Why do you think you haven’t been able to get into a company?”

“Honestly?” Jonghae asked, “My dancing is… lacking compared to my singing.” When the two dance trainers gave her a dry look, she swallowed thickly. “I’m not _that_ bad… I don’t _think_ I’m that bad, but... yeah, I’ll just get to it...”

She took a few steps back, turning around to wait for the music to play. Like Baehee, she had chosen her song because she wanted people to hopefully see her and remember her. This had been the first cover to get any real traffic, and she still got views and comments whenever IU had a comeback. Hopefully, people would recognize her voice and help her move up in the rankings. As the music played, eyes widened in shock as they looked at her with expectation. She was ready to meet the challenge head on, and although she was sure the choreography wasn’t as smooth as it could have been, her voice was clean, and as she sang the famous three-step high note without a single error, she knew she had made up for any of her dance mistakes.

With a proud smile, she went to stand before the trainers again, waiting for their critiques.

“All these individual trainees are so talented,” Dojung chuckled, “what are going to do with the company trainees that rank below them?”

“You might just have the best voice we’ll hear all day,” Solji praised. “You didn’t show any sign of struggle.”

Jonghae beamed, “Thank you.”

“Your dancing…” Boa began. She chuckled, “I understand what you meant by the gap in your abilities. You’re not hopeless, but you need work in that area.”

The girl was sheepish in response, “I can’t argue with that.”

“Your voice is an A, without a doubt,” Kahi said, “your placement will depend on your dancing… have you ever had a lesson before?”

“Ah, no,” Jonghae shook her head, “I haven’t.”

The trainers took a moment to discuss amongst themselves as Jonghae waited, trying not to so blatantly grip her mic in anticipation.

“Individual Trainee, Kim Jonghae... C,” Dojung announced. “Consider this a chance to improve your dancing.”

“I will, thank you,” She nodded in understanding before bowing and leaving the center space. As long as she avoided being placed in F, she considered that a win in her book.

  

 

 

☆

 

 

_The SPY and Crown trainees looked at each other curiously, the mental battle already beginning._

Junmae gave a laugh, that would probably be what the captions would say during the first episode because there was no way their company evaluations wouldn’t be broadcasted as some sort of competition. Crown might have been the biggest company there, but SPY was nothing less than a powerhouse in their own right. The show would probably spend extra time on them, she knew it.

With an easy smile, she looked to Jongmi, “How’re you feeling? Waist okay?”

Jongmi nodded, “Yeah, I’m all stretched out. There’s no way I won’t be able to do my absolute best.”

“Are you hurt?” the two looked up to see another girl staring down at them with wide eyes. Her nametag read ‘SPY, Do Kyungsoon.’

“No,” Jongmi frowned in confusion. Why did the other girl even care? “Uh, who are you?”

The girl didn’t reply, only staring at Jongmi critically before letting out a sigh. She reached into her pocked and took out some heat patches, handing them over to the dancer. “Good luck with your evaluation.” Before Jongmi could reply, she turned away from the Crown trainees and headed over to the other two SPY trainees. Jongmi watched in confusion as she spoke to the two girls while they helped her put on her mic pack, listening to her with warm eyes.

“That was nice of her,” Junmae observed. She looked at the heat patches the girl had given Jongmi, “They’re even the herbal ones, I bet they’re going to feel nice.” She reached for them, “Turn around, I think I can put them on you without messing with your mic.”

“Okay…” Jongmi turned around slowly, still processing the interaction. Why had the girl given her heat patches?

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Hello, we’re the SPY trainees,” the three bowed together.

“Kim Minseon, Zhang Yixiu, and Do Kyungsoon…” Dojung nodded. “When the three of them came up, I thought Wonder Girls’ Sohee was sneaking in.” He looked to Minseon, “Do you hear that you look like her often?”

Minseon nodded, “Ah… yes, I do.” She laughed, “You’d be surprised how many times I do omona.”

Dojung chuckled in reply, “I can understand why, you’re just as cute as she is.”

Minseon flushed, “Thank you.”

“And we have another foreigner,” he moved onto Yixiu. “Do you think it will make a difference to the viewers that you’re from a Korean company?”

Yixiu thought briefly before replying, “I don’t think it will make much of a difference, no. Either way, I hope the viewers will give us a chance before they judge us.”

“Well said,” Boa nodded. “I and the rest of the trainers will be sure to give you a chance as well.”

Their performance was as clean as they expected it to be. The three girls had been working together for years, and it showed in their stage. They were considered the top SPY trainees for a reason. Evaluations hadn’t stressed them out since their first year at SPY, and it showed with the way they commanded attention from the trainers and trainees. They weren’t relying on the way they styled themselves or the shock factor of their performance. It was their talent that drew people to look at them, and it was their talent that held their gazes.

When they finished, they stood before the trainees expectantly.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say that you three will have the cleanest performance all day,” Dojung said, still clapping. “You look like you could have already debuted, very professional.”

“Kim Minseon, your voice seems to be naturally high?” Soji read from her notes. “You’re like a songbird, very sweet and easy on the ears,” she nodded. “Kyungsoon as well, you have such smooth vocals.”

“Your voice is kind of like melted chocolate? I couldn’t help but write that down,” Jea said with a laugh. “Your runs were mostly stable, and I’m sure you’ll gain more control over time. I think you’re the strongest vocal of the three.”

“I noted the same thing,” Solji nodded. “You’re young, but you’re very talented.”

Kyungsoon gave a grateful smile, “Thank you so much.”

“Your dancing is also very clean,” Kahi praised. “The same can be said for all of you, but Yixiu especially.” She looked to the Chinese girl, “Your dance was very powerful, but it wasn’t forced or awkward,” she nodded in approval. “It’s nice to see that power in girls these days, especially since there’s been a trend in more innocent concepts lately. Whenever you debut, I’m sure you’ll shake things up.”

“Okay… rankings for SPY trainees,” Cheetah read, “Kim Minseon… B. Zhang Yixiu… A. Do Kyungsoon... B.”

 

  

 

☆

 

 

“Kim Jongmi.”

She snapped to attention, wondering what the trainers could possibly want from her. Their performance had gone well, Jongmi knew it had. Instead of giving them the feedback she was waiting for, the trainers were looking at their profiles and talking amongst themselves. She couldn’t guess why they were taking so long to decide on what they were going to rank them as.

“Your profile says here that your specialty is dance… we would like to see more of that from you.”

“I…” she looked at Junmae, trying not to panic, “I didn’t prepare anything else.”

“We can just put anything on then,” Boa smiled cheekily.

Jongmi’s eyes widened, and Junmae looked at her in concern because the trainers didn’t look like they were in any hurry to change their minds. The music started, and Jongmi breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded to herself, and when Junmae noticed this, she took a step back, giving the younger girl space.

When the beat dropped, Jongmi caught it all too easily.

All eyes were on her, and she relished in it. She wasn’t a showoff by any means, but she loved to dance. All she had ever wanted to do was dance. It was her passion, and it showed every time she took the stage. When she finished, she looked at the trainers expectantly, and they were staring at her in shock.

“I don’t think we need anything else,” Boa said. “That was amazing, Jongmi, you should be proud.”

“Thank you,” Jongmi bowed, holding back the wince when her muscles twitched. Standing up straight, she gave a grateful smile.

“Crown trainee Kim Junmae… B. Crown trainee Kim Jongmi… A.” Dojung nodded, giving Jongmi a wink, “Looks like you’re fit to bear the weight of the crown.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ pilot, the battle begins to gain a spot on the nation’s girl group**

_The standout is definitely the SONE, I heard she sings covers online??_  
  _\+ So does the girl who sang IU, they’ve done duets together  
              + + I can’t believe they’re individual trainees… Oppa will support you both TT-TT_

_Crown girls really live up to their company_

_The SPY maknae had a voice like honey, I’m voting for her_

_Before the girl from China performed, I could see everyone judging her kekeke_

_I can’t believe one of the Genius girls has a lisp, how does she think she can sing like that?  
       +How well do you sing that you’re saying that to a kid?_

_The SPY and the Crown girls are ready to debut_

_I’ve been following the SONE for a long time online, her name’s Baehee and she’s really talented_

_The Chinese girl in SPY is seriously talented, her dance was so powerful_

_The SONE was so nice to the girl from China, I’m voting for them both_  

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Boa stepped into the room, “Are we all ready to learn this choreography?”

“Yes!” the trainees chimed out like a chorus.

“You’re all in the middle of the pack right now, but there’s nothing to say that you can’t be moved up to B or even A if you do your best, okay?”

“Yes!”

Boa smiled, “Okay, then let’s all work hard!”

The girls chorused out a reply, and Boa smiled at their enthusiasm. However, things were easier said than done as the group got started. The basics of the choreography weren’t that difficult for them to grasp, but a road block was soon hit: the dance break. Boa winced as she saw the girls struggle through it. “Wait, let’s pause for a second… it’s not easy, is it? Let’s try it again…”

However, the problems weren’t so easily solved.

“Let’s try this again.”

“Again.”

Boa sighed, “This isn’t going as well as I had hoped...” She looked over the trainees, trying to think of a way to break it down even further for the ones who were struggling when she noticed two girls speaking quietly speaking to each other in the back, “Genius trainee… Oh Seyun?”

The trainee froze in her explanation to Chanyeon and looked up from her place in the back as the sea of trainees parted to reveal her to the dance trainer “Yes?”

“You received a C only because of your vocals,” Boa thought aloud. “Your style also suits instruction… come help me instruct.” 

Seyun’s eyes widened dramatically, “Eh?”

Boa laughed, “Come to the front and be a model as I break down the choreography.” The trainer gestured for the girl to come forward, “You’re already helping one person, so come help the rest, okay?”

Seyun looked to Chanyeon, and the other girl nodded in encouragement, nudging her toward the front.

Boa laughed as Seyun slowly came forward, “I won’t bite, don’t worry.” When the trainee joined her at the front, Boa clapped her on the shoulder, giving her a grin, “Thanks for helping out.” She turned to the trainees, “Okay, I’ll talk you all through it while Seyunnie goes through the movements slowly.”

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“Are you seriously an individual trainee?” Jongmi asked while they were on a break. When she had first seen the other girl perform, she had almost refused to believe there was no company representing her. Now that they had finished their first day of lessons, Jongmi was even more confused because Baehee had gone through them with ease and quickly gained the trainers’ favor. “There’s no way… you’re too good to not be in a company.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Baehee laughed. “No company wants a country bumpkin such as myself.”

Jongmi quirked a brow, “Where are you from?”

Baehee coughed, “Bucheon…”

“That’s like, right outside of Seoul,” the younger girl snorted in reply. “Try again.”

Baehee gave a cheeky smile before shrugged, “Honestly, I have no clue. I don’t have stage fright or anything, so it’s not like I get nervous during auditions. I don’t _think_ my dancing is that bad considering I’ve never taken a lesson before, and I’m really proud of voice.” She made a face, “I guess I’m just not what they were looking for.”

“You’ve never taken a dance class before?” another girl joined them. She gave Baehee a dimpled smile, “Could’ve fooled me.”

Baehee grinned, eyes glancing at her name tag quickly, “Thanks! I really appreciate that.” Shaking her head, she continued, “But yeah, I’ve never taken a lesson before. I used to practice hapkido, and now I teach it, so it’s hard to find the time for classes.”

“You can teach hapkido?” Jongmi gaped. “Are you even human?”

“I’m pretty sure…” Baehee laughed. “But are _you_ even human?” she gave Jongmi a pointed look. “Your freestyle was amazing, it was one of the best dances out of all the trainees and it was done right on the spot. You’re really great too, Yixiu-eonnie!” She looked to the other girl, “Your dance is so powerful, I was blown away during the evaluations.” She smiled, “There are so many talented people on this show, but you guys are definitely two of the best dancers. I could learn so much just by watching you guys.”

Jongmi was properly flustered by the compliment. She had honestly been expecting Baehee to be arrogant after receiving an A rank despite not coming from a company, but the girl was actually pretty friendly. “You’re really talented, Baehee-eonnie. I’m sure companies will be lining up to sign you after the show’s over.”

Baehee grinned brightly in reply, “Thanks, do you want to go over the song with me?” She stood up, stretching slightly, “You too, Yixiu-eonnie!”

“We can never go over it too much,” Yixiu agreed with a shrug.

Jongmi stood as well, ignoring the way her muscles twitched in protest. Once she went over the choreography some more, she would put on a heat patch. She was sure that she could last a few more hours. “Let’s go practice.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

After the dance lesson was over, Seyun booked it back to Chanyeon as quickly as she could, “That was the most nerve wracking thing I have ever done.”

Chanyeon was singing a different tune, “That was so cool, BoA noticed you, remembered you, and asked you to help! You're definitely going to do great in the first ranking!” She grinned, “Now, you have to help me with this because I want to move up too.”

“Uh, can I join the class too?” The two turned to see another trainee approaching them. They recognized her as the trainee who sang IU. She gave them a sheepish grin, “I still don't get it very well.”

“Of course you can!” Chanyeon answered before Seyun could. “I’m Chanyeon, and you probably already know that this adorable child is Seyun.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore,” Seyun whined. “I’m graduating next spring.”

“From _middle school_ ,” Chanyeon clarified with a snort. “You’re one of the youngest people here.” She patted the younger girl’s head, “Our Seyunnie is just a baby.”

“You’re what, sixteen?” Jonghae asked with wide eyes. “Your dancing is already so amazing, I guess some people are just born with it,” she laughed in reply, “My name is Jonghae, by the way.”

“Right, you’re the individual trainee who nailed IU,” Chanyeon nodded. “It was one of the cleanest covers I’ve ever heard.”

Jonghae smiled, “Thanks. I really need to work on this choreography though,” she looked to Seyun, giving the younger girl a wink, “Wanna help this eonnie out?”

“Sure, but… would you mind helping me with the singing?” Seyun asked. She made a face, “I’m not that good, and I don’t want to drop even lower.”

“Of course,” Jonghae smiled brightly at the other. “Even though we’re in a competition, we still have to help each other out,” she nodded. “This is the first time anyone is ever going to see us, so we have to make a good first impression, right?”

“… Right,” Seyun nodded, giving a small smile. “Thanks.”

“Okay, so the arm thing? Yeah, I still don’t get that,” Jonghae admitted. “Well, I get it, but I can’t _do_ it, you know?”

“I understand that concern all too well,” Chanyeon nodded solemnly.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“What are you even doing in B?” Junmae asked Lu Huan as the two sat against the wall during their break. Without Jongmi by her side, Junmae had gravitated towards the Chinese girl because she knew the other was also alone. As a Crown trainee, a lot of the trainees in B had either looked down on her for not being in A or avoided her, figuring she would be arrogant. Lu Huan had been kinder, asking the other girl if she would practice with her before Junmae had the chance to do so herself.

The Chinese girl shook her head in reply, “No, what are _they_ doing in B?” She pointed to the two SPY trainees, who were practicing the song in front of the mirrors together, a few feet away from them. They had been able to grasp the choreography despite others struggling, and their lines were clean. “My pronunciation still slips sometimes, so I know why they put me in B. Those two? They’re solid.” Lu Huan would shamelessly admit her Korean wasn’t perfect. While her accent wasn’t strong, she hadn’t been in the country long enough to have fluent pronunciation. “I’m friends with Yixiu, the other girl in their company. She sends me their practice videos sometimes, and they’re seriously amazing.”

The two stopped, and one whispered something to the other. They turned around, zeroing in on Lu Huan and Junmae. The taller of the two winked, “Thanks for the compliment.”

Junmae was properly flustered, but Lu Huan grinned. “You’re welcome~” she chimed. “I’m Lu Huan, and this is Junmae,” she gestured to the other girl.

“I’m Minseon, and this is Kyungsoon,” she positioned the shorter girl in front of her. “Small and squishy, but she’s got powerful vocals.” Kyungsoon gave the two a shy smile.

“Yixiu always tells me how talented you two are, I’d believe that in a heartbeat,” Lu Huan nodded with a smile.

“And your company evaluation was the best one all day,” Junmae said earnestly. “I guarantee they’ll try to pit our companies against each other when they edit all the performances, but I know they won’t be able to hide how talented you guys are.”

“Thanks,” Minseon smiled. “I guess they’re going to continue it considering our dancers are both in A together. I hope they’re getting along well enough.”

“Jongmi better be taking care of herself,” Junmae sighed. “She’s always trying to push her limits. I’m worried she’ll go too far one of these days.”

“She’s injured, isn’t she?” Kyungsoon spoke up. She frowned. “When we were on standby for the evaluations, her waist was trembling even though she hadn’t gone on yet.”

“That’s why you gave her the heat patches?” She nodded in reply, and Junmae sighed, “Thank you for that. Jongmi threw out her lower back a while ago, and she never really let herself heal, so it always creeps up again, no matter how careful she is.”

“… What is she doing on the show then?” Lu Huan frowned in concern, “We all had to go through health examinations, and I heard that one girl already went home because she got sick.”

“I have absolutely no idea how Jongmi passed her examination,” Junmae shook her head. “We both thought she would fail, and she was scared they wouldn’t let her onto the show because she might be a liability. When she passed, she wouldn’t listen to anyone who told her it was a bad idea… including me,” she sighed. “The only thing I can do is nag her to do all of her stretches and put on gels and heat patches. She’ll only leave the show if they carry her out on a stretcher.” She took in their reactions to her words and snorted, “It’s nice that you think I might be joking, but I’m dead serious.”

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Er, that’s not quite it,” Jonghae said gently. “You’ve got the key right, but you’re kind of tripping over the lyrics.”

Seyun gave a quiet groan and focused on the lyrics in her hand, mouthing out he pronunciation of each word carefully. She frowned, “Why are there so many difficult sounds in this song?”

Chanyeon had gone to retrieve her guitar a few hours earlier, and she had joined Jonghae in coaching Seyun through the lyrics of the song. She strummed the song on her guitar, humming the notes Seyun was supposed to hit. She looked at the girl in concern, “Don’t stress about it too much, Seyunnie.”

“Yeah, you don’t sound bad or anything,” Jonghae nodded. “It’s only small things, and your lisp isn’t even as strong as it was during our singing lesson.”

“It gets worse when I’m nervous,” Seyun frowned. “I start to hit my braces more, and it just turns into this giant mess, and I suddenly can’t talk to save my life.”

“You have braces?” Jonghae asked in surprise. She had never really stared at the other girl’s mouth up close, but she was sure that there weren’t a bunch of metal brackets adorning her teeth.

“Yeah, they’re the inside out kind, on the backside of my teeth,” Seyun opened her mouth to show them to the other girl. “I used to have a really bad under bite, but it’s getting better. The braces can make my lisp worse though,” she made a face, “I used to have a lisp without them, but it wasn’t usually this bad.”

“Oh… that sucks,” Jonghae frowned. “I know you can beat this though,” she gave a determined nod. “We just have to make sure you’re confident enough that you don’t get nervous when you record your video for the evaluation.” She stood up, “Come on, let’s do it with the choreo.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Seyun asked, but she stood up all the same. “I still don’t have the lyrics down.”

“Yes, you do, you just _think_ you don’t,” Jonghae replied. “We’ll do it one line at a time, slowly, okay?” At the younger girl’s reluctant nod, she grinned triumphantly. “Great, then let’s get to it.” Chanyeon began to play the song, and they did the opening choreography, but before they could get to the singing, Seyun had already stopped. Jonghae looked at her in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“You got the choreography wrong, you started on the opposite foot,” Seyun told her. “Aren’t I supposed to be helping you too, Jonghae-eonnie? Shouldn’t I tell you if you make a mistake?” Chanyeon snorted as Jonghae turned pink in embarrassment, but Seyun wasn’t done. “And Chanyeon-eonnie, don’t you think you should practice too? I don’t want either of us to be sorted lower,” she frowned.

Chanyeon froze, “Ah, y-yeah…” The tips of her ears turned red as she put her guitar to the side. “I should probably practice some more, I don’t have Jonghae’s amazing vocals to balance out my dancing.”

Jonghae laughed, “I can’t do much about it if my dancing absolutely sucks. It’s thanks to Seyunnie here that I’m able to stay afloat. Eonnie is grateful for all your help~”

  

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Newsen] ‘Nation’s Nine’ grading isn’t fair?**

_I still don’t understand why Jonghae didn’t move up to B…_  
        _+She said it herself, her dance is lacking  
              +She nailed the choreography for Pink Me, must’ve practiced hard TT-TT_

_If you put the Genius girls together, they’d be the perfect idol  
       +What about high notes? They’re not in C without reason kekeke_

_I’m glad at least Kyungsoon moved up, but all of the SPY trainees deserve to be in A TT-TT_

_What are you all talking about kekeke Jongmi deserves to be in A, she’s the best dancer_  
    _+Yixiu is a better dancer and singer, what are_ you _talking about?_  
_++They’re both doing just fine in A, you two should shut up_

_LuHuan-eonnie stayed in B TT-TT She’s so talented, I hope she does well_

_Jonghae and Seyun were so cute helping each other this episode, I hope they both debut even if they’re stuck in C_

_Jongmi seriously nailed that dance break_

_Kyungsoon and Minseon were obviously overshadowed by Yixiu during their first evaluations_

_Why isn’t anyone talking about Junmae staying in B? She’s can sing and dance well, and she’s also pretty  
       +But LuHuan stayed in B, it would have made no sense for her to move up to A_

_Baehee is putting a lot of the lower grade trainees and their companies in an awkward position because she hasn’t had any training and is doing so well on the show kekeke_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Baehee was a woman on a mission, and she wasn’t about to let people get in her way. When Dojung sounded off, she had easily bolted ahead of all the other girls, never feeling more grateful for all of the conditioning she’d done for the past nine years. That was rather sad considering all of the competitions she had placed in, but as she claimed the debut song of her idols, Girls' Generation, she had been incredibly proud of herself. Almost immediately after Dojung had announced their first live performance would be debut songs, the individual trainee had created her perfect lineup, and coming first in the race would ensure no one could ruin that for her.

As their mentor had announced that she would be picking her team members first, Baehee scanned the group of girls carefully, looking for a specific trainee. “Genius Entertainment, Oh Seyun.” She met eyes with the girl and flashed her a grin. When the girl stood next to her, Baehee winked, "Don't look so nervous, I picked you for a reason, Seyunnie."

Her words did nothing to calm the other, “… Are you sure that was a _good_ reason?”

Baehee snorted, “Of course I am." She looked back to the crowd, running the possible lineups in her mind before nodding to herself, "Genius Entertainment, Park Chanyeon."

The tall girl came down and gave Baehee a look, “… are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Seyun asked me the same thing, but yes, I'm sure." Baehee laughed, "I need your harmonies." She looked back to the crowd, "Big Hit Entertainment… Kim Taehee."

"Um, I don't want to doubt your judgement, but do you know what you're doing?" Taehee asked when she joined the group. She pointed to herself, "Hip hop trainee.” She then pointed to the cardboard flag designating their team, “Girls’ Generation debut song.”

“You're a vocal,” Baehee snorted. “And _yes_ , for the last time, _I know what I'm doing_ ,” she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, have faith in my eye for talent. We’re going to get the benefit points.” She looked back to the crowd, meeting eyes with Jonghae briefly. The other individual trainee had asked not to be picked, and while Baehee hadn’t originally planned on doing all of the high notes by herself, she figured Jonghae had her reasons. Baehee had other lineup options though, “Velvet Entertainment, Kang Seulgi.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

MAMAMOO’s debut song had never been an easy song to sing, and all the trainees on the show knew that. The harmonies would have to be done live, and that obviously scared some of them. However, Yixiu had been excited when she saw the song option, her mind already working through the trainees she had seen thus far and creating possible member lineups. When the song selection had begun, Yixiu had easily claimed the song and watched in amusement as two trainees fought to avoid it. Whoever ended up with it would probably also end up with the trainees that had yet to be chosen when every other A-ranked trainee had chosen their teams.

When she sat down by the cardboard flag designating her song choice, Yixiu had been all too relaxed. She had hoped the two trainees took all the time in the world deciding who would have to take MAMAMOO’s debut song.

It would only make things easier for her.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Do you think we should change the center?” Kyungsoon asked the rest of her team. Looking down at the part distribution sheet, she frowned. How was her name next to the main vocal position, the leader position, _and_ the center position? It seemed to be stacked towards her, and while she would do her best, she didn’t think it was fair to the rest of the team.

“Even if we wanted to, we can’t,” one of the girls snorted in reply. “You have to be the center because you were the ‘Pick Me’ center.”

Kyungsoon resisted the urge to shrink. A few weeks earlier, she had been proud that the rest of the trainees had voted her to be center, but now? She was hyperaware of all the eyes on her in the competition, and it made her uncomfortable. The SPY trainee knew that she had won the vote for center fair and square, but there was still a fair amount of girls that hadn’t agreed with her appointment. When articles started to pour in about her, Minseon and Yixiu had tried to convince that all the attention was a good thing, but she had wanted to hide even more.

“Even if we could change the center, I don’t think we should,” Junmae gave the girl a careful look. Jealousy was an ugly disease. While the team Kyungsoon had chosen was talented and fit their song choice, Junmae soon realized they were also hungry for attention. “Kyungsoonnie is the youngest, and APink’s debut suits her the most.” She looked to the SPY trainee, “Don’t worry about being center, I’m sure you’ll do a great job.” The Crown trainee then looked to the rest of her team, taking on a firm tone, “We should be focusing on making the parts we have perfect, not focusing on how to change them just because we don’t like them. Kyungsoon won more than half the votes for center, she deserves the spot.”

Junmae was unfortunately used to dealing with trainees who thought they deserved more. Crown was full of people who thought they deserved to debut before their peers. When she and Jongmi had been chosen to be on the show, there had been protests from a lot of the other trainees, but she blocked them out. They were just jealous. “I _think_ the fact that the trainers all agreed with her being center is a sign that she should be center. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve all got cute visuals, and you’re all talented vocals. There’s a reason why Kyungsoon picked you to be in this team, _her_ team. We’re all going to contribute to the win. And if you’re worried about screen time, it’s not like the cameramen are going to straight up _avoid you_ when we’re on stage.”

Their teammates were visibly displeased by Junmae’s words, but they didn’t protest. Kyungsoon sent Junmae a grateful smile, and she shrugged in reply. There was no reason why they should be wasting their time on such childish disputes when they had to prepare for a stage.

“I think we should change one thing though,” Kyungsoon said slowly, erasing her name from one of the boxes before looking to Junmae, “Do you want to be the leader?”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[enter-talk] ‘Nation’s Nine’ Do Kyungsoon, would you accept her[confession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI6MvzIZ3CA)?**

_Oppa would accept in a heartbeat, Kyungsoon TT-TT  
       +Eonnie would too TTATT_

_I watched her eye-contact version, and her lips seriously turn into a heart when she smiles. She’s so cute, definitely a stan attractor._

_What is she doing on this show? She could have already debuted but SPY keeps their trainees locked up as usual… Her eonnies are also talented, it’s a shame_

_Do Kyungsoon needs to always be the center, I hope she can overtake Baehee_

_Her voice had an R &B style during her evaluation but she’s so cute here, she can do more than one concept_

_She’s so small and cute, she fits the song perfectly._

_Her teammates were jealous of her, but she was the reason they got the extra points kekeke Even if she didn’t win overall, she proved that she deserved to be center_

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“Let’s go over it one more time,” Jongmi said. “I don’t think our transition to the floor is clean enough yet.”

Lu Huan glanced at the rest of their team, taking in the way their expressions were begging her to save them. “Uh… let’s take a break first.” She gave Jongmi a cheeky wink when Crown trainee gave her a look, “You might be the center, but you voted me leader, Jongmimi~ As leader, I say we deserve a ten-minute break.”

“Ten minutes?” Jongmi frowned.

“I can make it twenty if you want me to,” Lu Huan chimed, and Jongmi’s frown morphed into a pout. The Chinese girl laughed in reply, “Not everyone can keep going as long as you can. We want to make it to the stage with our bodies intact.”

Jongmi sighed, “Fine, I guess we can take a break.”

Lu Huan chuckled, “The rest of the team already started their break.” Once she had declared they deserved a break, the other girls had bolted from their designated practice space. Lu Huan offered a water bottle to Jongmi, “Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard?”

“Do _you_ think I am?” Jongmi asked, accepting the water bottle with a pointed look.

“Well, you’re kind of scaring our teammates away,” Lu Huan pointed out.

Jongmi visibly drooped, her voice becoming small, “Oh.” She looked at the other girl earnestly, “I’m not _trying_ to, I just want us to do our best.”

“I know you do,” Lu Huan nodded in understanding. “You’re just being a little bit too intense. You picked us to be in your team because you knew we could do Miss A justice, and we’re going to do them justice.” She guided the girl over to the wall to sit down, “So take a break, you deserve one. I’ll even give your waist a massage, Yixiu said I’m really good at them.”

“…You talked to Junmae-eonnie, didn’t you?”

Lu Huan shrugged, “I didn’t need to talk to her to notice that you hit the ground awkwardly during our last transition.” Lifting up the bottom of Jongmi’s pink sweatshirt, she continued, “Talking to Junmae _did_ help me realize why you looked like it hurt so much.” Her fingers massaged the Crown trainee’s lower back gently. “I understand why you’re so stubborn about working through your injury. You want to debut, and you think that taking a break to heal is going to hold you back. You don’t want to miss your chance, and you have no idea when that chance is going to come.”

“I… I got injured right before the last Crown girl group was chosen,” Jongmi said quietly. “I was too young to debut with them, but I’m old enough to debut with the next one. I can’t let an injury stop me from standing on the stage. As long as I can keep dancing, I’m going to.” She felt Lu Huan’s fingers still on her waist and her arms wrap around her into a hug.

Lu Huan rested her chin on Jongmi’s shoulder, sighing quietly as she thought back to Junmae’s earlier words. “I really hope you get to debut in this group, Jongmi.”

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

[ **Nate] ‘Nation’s Nine’[Bad Girl Jongmi or Good Girl Lu Huan?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TeeJvcBdLA)**

_Jongmi has more views on her eye contact video, and Lu Huan got more votes during the show. They’re obviously really talented and popular, don’t compare them_

_Miracle of China, Lu Huan. I hope she makes it into the final lineup._

_Why not both kekekeke Their eye contact videos both have a lot of views even though it’s only been a few hours since they were uploaded_

_Does this journalist even remember the lyrics to this song kekekekeke_

_Lu Huan and Jongmi both nailed the concept, and their teamwork was really good this week. They’ll definitely make it past the eliminations_

_When they got on the floor… amazing, seriously amazing…_

_Lu Huan got a lot of criticism because she’s Chinese, but she still does well, and she even had the most votes on her team tonight._

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I heard the other group mention the ballad version of ‘Into the New World,’ and that might scare a weaker woman, but _I_ already know that we’re going to one up them with the acapella intro,” Baehee told her group, typing a search into her tablet. After bringing up the video, she continued, “Girls’ Generation performed the iconic rendition at in their twenty-thirteen concert, and it’s still a fan favorite.” She paused briefly, “Okay, it’s _my_ favorite, but I’m a fan, so that still counts.”

“Of course it does, Eonnie,” Seulgi was amused by her enthusiasm. “How do you picture our tribute to South Korea’s top girl group?”

“You, me, and Chanyeon are going to cover the harmonies and adlibs in the acapella,” Baehee nodded solemnly. “We’re the main and lead vocals. Taehee and Seyun will cover the melody. Since Taehee has a thicker voice and Seyunnie has a softer voice, they’re going to complement each other. It's going to sound really full.” When they nodded in understanding, Baehee wrote it down on part distribution sheet.

“Taehee will be the center because she’s beautiful and a strong dancer, and Seyunnie will do the dance break because she’s as flexible as a noodle and incredibly talented,” Baehee continued. “Even if you don’t have a lot of lines, you’ll be sure to get lots of screen time when we perform,” she nodded to herself. Most people considered Taeyeon and Jessica’s high notes to be the highlight of the performance, but Baehee knew better. The combination of a sweet song and hard choreography was one of the reasons the debut song was so iconic. They needed a strong dance line just as much as they needed a strong vocal line if they wanted to win.

Chanyeon was visibly impressed, “You seriously came up with all of this already?”

“I do covers and collabs all the time,” Baehee reminded the girl with a smile, “I like bringing people together and making something incredible. We just need to play up our strengths and cover up our weaknesses.” She made more notes on the part distribution, “So, uh, don’t be offended when I say you need to pull a Tiffany and get to the back during the chorus.”

Seyun’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Chanyeon let out a loud laugh, “I was waiting for you to say that.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Nate] ‘Nation’s Nine’ A fangirl’s careful planning pays off![Team Baehee dominates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmQVpxrWeZE)**

_Byun Baehee’s high note raised my grades, cleared my skin, and got me into a fansign after only buying one album_

_Amazing… Baehee’s high notes were just amazing…_

_When she gave her team their assignments, I couldn’t even call her bossy because she made sure each member got their spotlight. I had no idea Chanyeon could harmonize like that_

_Those high notes… the harmonies at the beginning… that dance break… Team Baehee was the best for sure._

_If she’s not first next week, it’s rigged against individual trainees for sure…_

_She’s used to working with other people she’s only ever seen on a screen before, of course Baehee would have a good eye for talent keke_

_Kekekeke people are upset Baehee took all the high notes at the end, but in the beginning she took the least adlibs and let Seulgi do most of them._

_Byun Baehee’s class kekekeke She could easily be a producer, I never would have put the Genius trainees or the Big Hit trainee in a group covering Girls’ Generation, but she knew she needed them and picked them without hesitating_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I think MAMAMOO’s song is cursed,” Minseon all too seriously. She gave Yixiu a look, “Why did you pick me to be on your team? I could be practicing with Kyungsoon right now.”

“You hate innocent concepts, we both know that,” Yixiu rolled her eyes. “And the song isn’t cursed. No one could have known that we’d lose a trainee.”

Jonghae snorted, “You make it sound like she’s dead, Eonnie. She’s just… in the hospital,” the words sunk in. “Never mind, that’s almost as bad.”

Yerin, the final member of their group, sighed, “I hope she’s okay even if she can’t perform with us…”

“It’s good that she’s leaving now though,” Yixiu said nodded. “This way, she can get the help she needs, and even though she can’t debut on the show, she might be able to debut with her company.”

“I don’t understand why someone would come on the show if they’re sick,” Jonghae frowned. “We all had a medical exam, didn’t we? I know that it’s been a few weeks since then, but she looked really sick when they took her away.”

“I guess it comes and goes with some people,” Minseon shrugged.

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Nate] ‘Nation’s Nine’ MAMAMOO’s ‘[Piano Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM_ktp-TTLM)’ better as four or five?**

_Four, hands down. The difference in votes was hilarious kekekekeke_

_The only thing the groups had in common was the song, the Chinese girl’s team was on a different level_

_I didn’t know Yixiu’s team could harmonize like that… Minseon was seriously amazing_

_It’s a pity one of the girls had to leave the show, but the group of four had the better stage. They looked like they could have been a real group._

_The team of five had the members nobody wanted because the leader tried to avoid MAMAMOO kekeke Yixiu actually wanted the song, so she got to pick her team really early, and it paid off_

_Team Yixiu had the best ‘Piano Man’ live I’ve ever heard kekekeke_

_Their harmonies… Yixiu knows how to pick good voices, Minseon did the high harmonies so well._

_Jonghae’s high note wasn’t as high as Baehee’s, but it was just as strong_

_MAMAMOO debuted as four, the line distribution is obviously better suited for four members_

  

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ trainees take on iconic girl groups, Byun Baehee and Kim Jonghae compete for the final win**

_Can anyone match Byun Baehee’s talent in this show? kekeke_

_How many companies are waiting for the show to end so they can contact Byun Baehee kekeke  
       + All of them_

_Byun Baehee’s class kekekeke She totally led her team to victory this week_

_I’m becoming a fan of Jonghae, she’s always nice to the other trainees, and she works hard. Her dancing isn’t as good as Baehee’s, but I think her voice is better_

_Jonghae’s team had less members, but Baehee still beat her kekeke_

_Kyungsoon would have been up there with them if she hadn’t been with a Crown trainee kekeke_

_For a foreigner, Yixiu is really talented…_

_Jonghae’s dance skills are slowly getting better_

_Both Baehee and Jonghae are doing so well TT TT_

_Eliminations are next week, I’m nervous_

_Why is no one talking about the miracle of China, Lu Huan? If she hadn’t been in Jongmi’s group she would have ranked higher_

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

The girls filed onto the set, greeting the nation’s producers (read: the camera) with low bows. As they sat down in long rows before the pyramid, now dwindled down from 99 seats to 51, only one thought was on their minds: _Will I get to sit there?_ No matter how safe the trainees knew they were supposed to be, there was always a lingering doubt that the ranks had been upset, and they were suddenly on the bottom.

“Who do you think is going to be first?” Junmae asked.

“Byun Baehee,” Jongmi’s reply was automatic. “She was first when they showed the rankings after the first episode, and she’s only gotten more popular since then.”

“Kyungsoon is doing amazing right now though,” the two turned to see Baehee behind them, sitting with Jonghae and Lu Huan. She continued on, “Since she was the center for ‘Pick Me,’ she probably has a lot of public recognition, and she’s also really talented and really cute,” Baehee nodded, sure of herself. “I think I’m falling in the rankings a bit, but Kyungsoon’s definitely been rising. She was fifth at the end of the first episode, but there’s no way that’s true now.”

“I want the center effect,” Jongmi whined. She pouted at Junmae, “Do you think I can be center at least once before the show ends?”

Lu Huan eyed her, “Weren’t you the center for our team last week?”

“Yeah, but _you_ were there,” the younger girl replied purposefully. “We were basically co-centers.”

Lu Huan stuck her tongue out, “You picked me to be on your team, so you don’t get to complain. You did it to yourself, Jongmimi~”

 

  

 

☆

 

 

“From ninety-nine to nine, vote for your favorite girl,” Dojung began. “I’m the nation’s representative producer, Kim Dojung.” After the girls applauded him, he continued, “I didn’t think this day would come so soon, but here we are. The results of the first round of voting, decided by the nation’s producers, will be revealed today.”

“I’m so nervous,” Seyun whispered, clutching Chanyeon’s hand tightly.

“Like you already know, only ranks one through fifty-one will survive,” Dojung continued. “Trainees ranked fifty-two to ninety-seven will be eliminated,” he looked out into the sea of girls dramatically. “The trainee to receive first place, from now until the next ranking announcement, will be the center for ‘Nation’s Nine.’ The ranking for the first center chosen by the nation’s producers,” he smirked slightly, “it was a close call, so let’s look forward to that.”

The screens changed before them, and dramatic music began to play. “Let’s begin with the first ranking.”

“I take it back, I can afford to wait and debut at twenty-five,” Minseon said, looking at the flashing screen. “Let’s go home, I don’t want to know my rank.”

“Right behind you,” Kyungsoon replied.

“Instead of beginning with fifty-one, we’ll be beginning with fifty,” Dojung read. “Why begin with fifty instead of fifty-one? Fifty-one and fifty-two were on the same team for debut songs,” he explained. “Fifty-two was the only member of her team to be eliminated.”

“It’s been nice knowing you,” Chanyeon sighed. “Last until the end for both of us, Seyunnie.”

Seyun clutched the other girl’s hand even more tightly than before, “Don’t even _think_ about joking about something like that.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ From domination to elimination, the shocking ranks of Big Hit and Genius**

_Beating the other team doesn’t matter if one member is obviously more popular. Voters will just look to her and ignore everyone else._

_Seyunnie’s crying face made me realize that she's just a baby TT-TT_

_I can’t believe Baehee’s high note turned into a team kill…_

_Since when do people talk about that Big Hit trainee? Sure she’s pretty, but so are a lot of the trainees. The hip-hop trend in Korea is fading, so no one cared until she was up for elimination_

_I never expected this to happen, I thought they were all safe…_

_Taehee was a really pretty center, but she didn’t get the ending shot because she was overshadowed by Baehee’s high notes… Chanyeon’s harmonies were good and her dance was better than usual, but she was overshadowed by Baehee’s high notes… Seyun’s dance break was really clean and her lisp wasn’t that obvious, but she was overshadowed by Baehee’s high notes…_

_Seyun’s crying face is being passed around, but she wasn’t eliminated keke She was crying for her eonnie, not for herself. She ranked 34th~ Her lisp is cute and her visuals are like a young Slytherin, she’s a total stan attractor_

_There are girls who are less talented that managed to stay, but one of these talented trainees had to go home… this show is a joke_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I bet everyone is wondering who the top three are,” Dojung said. “First place will be the center until the next ranking, but how many members will be in the final group?”

“Nine members,” the girls all chorused back, some sitting in their pyramid ranking, others watching from their seats.

“Exactly, nine members will be in the final group,” Dojung nodded. “For a group with nine members, choreography is easily broken up into smaller groups of three. Members ranked second and third will be secondary centers.”

“Um, I’ve never heard of a secondary center before,” Lu Huan whispered to Baehee. “Is that the norm in the Korean idol industry and I just so happened to miss that memo?”

“No clue,” Baehee snorted quietly in reply. “I bet they just made it up.”

“Third place trainee,” Dojung began as the screen changed. “I would say she had an evaluation that was the most shocking to the public due to not only her performance, but also the country she calls her home.” He glanced at the cue card, “With three hundred eighty-two thousand, nine hundred seventy-five votes… Ringleader Entertainment’s Lu Huan.”

“… Hah?” Lu Huan blinked owlishly.

  

 

 

☆

 

 

**[enter-talk] ‘Nation’s Nine’ Friends from Day 1, Byun Baehee and Lu Huan claim 2nd and 3rd place in the rankings.**

_I expected Baehee to be first…_

_Lu Huan’s this popular? I guess Chinese fans are coming out to vote for her_

_It’s good that Baehee is 2nd, she needs to stay humble_

_Lu Huan did really good in the girl group debut battle. Even if she wasn’t center, my eyes were drawn to her._

_It’s cute that they met on the top of the pyramid when they first met and they got to have similar rankings._

_Baehee’s ranked so much higher than the rest of her team members. The next one is Kang Seulgi, and she’s only 25th. What kind of gap is that kekeke_

_Byun Baehee’s class kekeke she’s an individual trainee, but she’s above almost everyone_

_Lu Huan really is a miracle of China… Yixiu’s stuck in the 30s, but Lu Huan is 3rd_

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I have never been so happy to wear gray before,” Baehee whispered to Kyungsoon as the two walked into the auditorium. Gone were the color-coded sweatshirts, and she couldn’t be any more pleased. “I’m not even lying, I felt like a piece of raw meat in that thing.”

Kyungsoon smiled at the joke, “I’m sure a lot of people would have killed to feel like raw meat if it meant getting more screen time.” Kyungsoon had no problem with wearing gray, and she preferred to wear mute colors if she was being honest, but if she was being even more honest, she would admit that she had cried when she had received her pink sweatshirt after moving up to A. She didn’t even like pink, but she had never been so happy to wear that pepto-bismol colored piece of fabric. It made her feel like all the time she had spent training at her company had been validated.

Lu Huan coughed, “Like me. Let me feel like raw meat, I’ll do it shamelessly.”

“I’m sure your time will come, Eonnie,” Baehee laughed.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ 48 trainees are eliminated and the nation’s first nine are revealed**

_I want Kyungsoon to stay center the entire show! She’s so cute >o<_

_LuHuan and Yixiu are both doing well in the ranking, what if foreigners end up in the group?_

_+That’s not going to stop me from voting for them_

_++But it’s supposed to be a group representing Korea_

_+++Then the Koreans need to try harder_

  _Kyungsoon is the SPY maknae, but she’s doing so well on the show TToTT_

_Baehee probably has SONEs blindly supporting her after last week_

_\+ Do you know how many subscribers she has on YouTube?_

_\+ Did your favorite girl get eliminated? kekeke_

_I’ll miss you, Taehee TTATT_

_Kyungsoon’s rank is so high because she’s center, but I hope people recognize her voice too!_

_The ranking of the Crown girls is surprising, I expected them to be in the top 9…_

_I for sure thought Chanyeon’s rank would be higher, her voice is so pretty… I guess being on Baehee’s team is a blessing and a curse_

_Please vote for the Genius trainees_ _TT-TT_

_LuHuan is seriously amazing, I hope she debuts in the final group!_

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“Our remaining fifty-one trainees, I don’t have the slightest doubt that you will all continue to work hard to move up before the next ranking,” Dojung spoke to the trainees. “Our fifty-first trainee, Park Chanyeon, and our thirty-fourth trainee, Oh Seyun, have more than one thing in common. The first thing is that they’re from the same company,” he wore an amused smile, “Now that you’re all standing by rank, I’ve never seen them so far away from each other.”

“While Chanyeon narrowly survived the first ranking, Oh Seyun will be in a similar situation during the second ranking if her rank stays the same.” He looked to the young girl, “Do you know where the similarities end, Seyunnie?” His gaze turned serious, “While Chanyeon made it through the first ranking, you won’t make it through the second if you remain thirty-fourth.”

“… Oh,” Seyun replied quietly. She had been incredibly proud of ranking in the middle of the pack, but the good feelings quickly faded. “I… I’ll do my best to move up in the rankings.”

“I’m sure you will,” Dojung nodded. “You can all increase your rankings during the next evaluation. With a benefit of one hundred thousand points, your next evaluation will be a _position_ evaluation. SPY Entertainment’s Do Kyungsoon,” he addressed the SPY trainee, “the positions are vocal, dance, and rap. As the first place trainee, you will have the first pick.”

Kyungsoon chose her song, ‘[Day by Day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSVVgmmTMtI),’ easily. There was no reason for here to go anywhere out of the vocal position, but she briefly wondered where the rest of the strong vocals would go, specifically the only girl to consistently pull high notes out of her ass.

When Baehee stepped up after Kyungsoon, she looked over the song choices carefully, all the way from vocal to rap. Most assumed she would just pick a different vocal song than the song Kyungsoon had chosen, but the individual trainee was taking her good, sweet time to look over all of her options. With a thoughtful frown, she turned away from the songs in the vocal section and focused on the dance songs. “I pick… ‘Bang Bang’ from Dance.”

Dojung gave her a side glance, “… Are you sure?”

She smiled cheekily in reply before going to stand by her song choice, “Of course.”

There seemed to be a sigh of relief from other vocals in the room, but the dancers suddenly became a little bit more tense. Baehee might not have been ranked first, but she had a large fan base that continuously came out to support her, and that fan base had only grown since their last live performance.

“I see,” Dojung nodded. “I guess we can look forward to a different side of you this week.”

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I just realized that there’s a very slim chance either of us are going to win the benefit,” Minseon said. She made a face, “I was actually hoping that I’d have a chance to get into the top nine during the ranking.”

“Explain, I’m not following you,” Lu Huan replied, taking a sip of her water.

“The two of us are singing ‘[Monster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwgrVZ0uFXE)’ with four other girls,” Minseon said. “Kyungsoon is singing ‘Day by Day’ with four other girls whose ranks aren’t anywhere near hers, and Jonghae and Junmae are singing ‘Yanghwa Bridge’ with only two other girls. Whoever wins in each team is going to go up against the other winners when all is said and done,” she looked to the Chinese girl, “How easy do you think it’s going to be for Kyungsoon and Jonghae to collect votes, especially with the size of their teams?”

“…I never considered that,” Lu Huan made a face. She had been ranked third, she could have picked just about any song she had wanted to yet she chose one of the songs with the most members… “And we’ll probably cancel each other out in the voting… wow.”

“Congratulations, you played yourself,” Minseon clapped the other girl on the shoulder.

“In my defense, you played yourself just as much as I did,” Lu Huan clapped her on the shoulder right back. “You’re also the native speaker, you should have known better.”

“I am but an old woman who wants to feel young again,” Minseon deadpanned. “Let me go through my mid-life crisis in peace.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“So, why didn’t you pick Vocal?” Jongmi asked. Despite the threat of Baehee’s popularity, Jongmi had chosen the same song, unwilling to be threatened. She knew she was a good dancer, and she was confident she could get the extra point benefit. Despite that, she was curious. Baehee was obviously a vocal, yet there she was, competing to be the top dancer.

“Why didn’t _you_ pick Vocal?” Baehee asked in return.

Jongmi could only blink in reply. “… I’m a dancer,” she deadpanned

“With a bad waist,” Baehee snorted in reply. “If I were you, I would have chosen Vocal and given my waist the week off.” She made a face, “That’s why I said Yixiu should be the center instead of you when we were dividing the parts.” Never mind that the motion had failed pathetically, and Baehee had been made center against her own will. Apparently, it was one of the ‘perks’ she got for being a secondary center, whatever that was. She had _tried_ to avoid any parts that would draw attention to herself, but that hadn't worked out in the slightest. “I noticed it during the company evaluations, and I saw it again during the debut song battle.”

Jongmi was speechless, “How… could you have _possibly_ noticed that?”

“You aren’t as good at hiding it as you think you are,” the individual trainee shrugged in reply. “There’s also the fact that LuHuan-eonnie told me you like to push yourself too hard when I asked her about you.” At the look the younger girl gave her, Baehee fired one right back, “What? You’re one of the best dancers here, I need to know your weaknesses are if I want to have a shot at beating you.”

“Jongmi, Junmae sent over some heat patches~” Yixiu chimed as she walked over to the two girls. “Huan-jie also said that you need to take it easy.”

“How many people know that I hurt my waist?” Jongmi asked with a groan. She turned around though, lifting up her grey sweatshirt to give the Chinese girl access to her lower back.

Their team's leader applied the heat patches carefully, gently smoothing them down, “Not many… Junmae just has the habit of asking people to watch after you.”

“I just turned eighteen, when is she going to let me grow up?” Jongmi made a face.

Baehee snorted, “You’re a part of the early two thousand line, aren’t you? You’d only be seventeen if our country wasn’t so weird about ages.”

“If we were in China, people wouldn’t make a big deal about your age difference with Seyun,” Yixiu brought up the Genius trainee. “You’re just as much as a baby as she is in my eyes.”

“I resent that,” Jongmi huffed. “Seyun is an actual fetus.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“I’m sure Jongmi will take it easy, Eonnie,” Jonghae tried to console the other trainee. They had just finished practicing ‘[Yanghwa Bridge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOC72-AgV7M)’ with the rest of their team, but Junmae had stayed behind, waiting until the Bang Bang team were on a break to corner Yixiu and send heat patches to her fellow Crown trainee.

“I’m sure she won’t.” Junmae shook her head in reply. “It’s honestly her only flaw. She tends to forget that she’s not an _actual_ dance machine, so there’s always the worry in the back of my mind that she’s going to end up doing serious damage to herself.”

“Is that like, a Crown thing or a _Jongmi_ thing?” Jonghae asked carefully. “I know you guys have a lot of expectations to live up to because of your company, but you and Jongmi don’t handle the pressure in the same way at all.”

“Jongmi is pretty bad about it, but it’s honestly a Crown thing.” Jonghae could tell just by looking at the older girl that she was uncomfortable admitting it. “I’ve been at the company longer than Jongmi has, and it sucks, but she’s not the worst one I’ve seen like that. There are a lot of trainees and even idols in our company who work through injuries when they really shouldn’t. Staff members do step in when it gets to a certain point, and our CEO will even call you into his office and threaten to terminate your contract if you don’t start taking care of yourself. He doesn’t want to represent people who don’t know their limits.”

Jonghae made an observation, “You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s just… it can get kind of messy that way,” Junmae said with a sigh. “We know we’re not supposed to push ourselves past our limits, but we also want to be the best. Everyone’s replaceable in Crown, so we keep trying to be the best version of ourselves… even if that means we have to keep going when we shouldn’t.”

“If the staff find out that you hurt yourself by going too hard, you’ll get in trouble, so you hide it and act like you know your limits.” Jonghae understood what she was getting at. “But when you hide it, you only hurt yourself even more by not getting help when you need it.”

“If you keep it up, you’re only proving that you _don’t_ know your limits.” Junmae nodded. “When you finally get caught, they’ll send you to see a doctor, but they’ll tell you not to come back to the company once you’re healed.”

“That’s why Jongmi’s hiding it.” Junmae shrugged helplessly. “They’re going to drop her if they find out.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s 9’ Kim Jonghae vs Do Kyungsoon for best vocal**

_Jonghae’s finally getting recognition for her voice TTATT_

_Kyungsoon really picked a good song for her voice, her vocals are so smooth_

_They’re different types of vocals, don’t be mean and pit them against each other_

_Jonghae’s emotion was seriously on another level today_

_I don’t doubt the skill of the winner, but the votes are totally unfair to groups with more members like LuHuan’s group.  
       +Go vote for you “miracle of China” then_

_Baehee gave the biggest shock today_

_LuHuan did really well, but her team had a lot of members, it’s a pity_

_People can complain all they want, but Jonghae and Kyungsoon were the top vocals today_

_I’m going to vote like crazy, don’t worry Minseon_

_Did anyone else expect to see the Genius girl in the vocal section? Her harmonies are so good in the performances TT-TT  
       +Apparently she joined rap because it was the only spot left… I’m worried for her_

_Junmae was overshadowed by Jonghae today, but her voice is really sweet_

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“No offense, but have you ever rapped before?”

Chanyeon pushed up her glasses, blinking owlishly, “Um, yes, actually I have.”

The other members of her team were blatantly skeptical, but Chanyeon didn’t blame them. Since she had ranked last, she hadn’t been able to pick the position she wanted to be evaluated on, and so she’d been ‘stuck’ with rap. Chanyeon was looking forward to it though, she hadn’t had the chance to showcase her rapping on the show yet. However, her fellow team members weren’t exactly eager to give her the chance she was hoping for.

“Well, there are singing parts, so you can just do those,” one of the girls said.

“Don’t I have to rap, at least a little bit?” she asked in reply. “How else am I supposed to be evaluated?”

The two other girls shared a glance with each other before the girl who had proclaimed herself leader spoke up, “You can have half a verse.”

“I’ll get started on my lyrics,” Chanyeon gave the two a bright grin. Maybe she could kill them with kindness.

If that didn’t work, maybe she could blind them with her smile.

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Seyun… Seyun was confident.

Actually, confident was _definitely_ pushing it, but Seyun felt good about her team’s ‘[Say My Name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhZkY2oJmpo)’ stage. She had absolutely no intentions to win the position evaluation, but the Genius trainee knew that she would make it through the stage in one piece. She and Seulgi had made the choreography together, and she hadn’t been too scared to accept Seulgi’s nomination to make her the center. She had been incredibly nervous when Seulgi had written her name down in ink and she realized the decision was a _permanent_ one, but overall, Seyun felt good.

Their team was on next, and they were watching the ‘[Bang Bang](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dL9RWFcJmI)’ stage with wide eyes. It was more than amazing, and Seyun had no idea how she was supposed to describe the way Jongmi, Yixiu, and Baehee moved. They were so connected to the song that the Genius trainee could only stare in awe.

“… Wait,” she said quietly, zeroing in on Jongmi’s movements. Suddenly, there was something very wrong with the way the girl was dancing. She was still hitting every beat with a smile on her face, but there was something that screamed ‘pain’ about how she did it. Seyun watched in both fear and fascination as Jongmi’s face would only break momentarily, when she was sure there was no way the camera would catch her. It was brief, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was there.

Focused on Jongmi, she watched the rest of the stage, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with the girl. She’d always seen Junmae mother the other girl, but the same could be said for how Chanyeon acted around her. It was just their age gap combined with how long they had known each other. Besides, Seyun reasoned with herself, they had all gone through a medical examination, and they were halfway through the competition. If someone was sick or injured, they would have already gone home, wouldn’t they?

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Chanyeon was smug.

Actually she was crying, but she was still very smug underneath her tears. Her team’s ‘[You Look Happy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sku13E4vWLE%20%E2%80%A6)’ stage had gone all too well, and she was proud of how she had done. She could barely focus on the audience before her though because her vision was blurred by tears. She had put a lot into her lyrics, feeling not only upset at her rank, but also her teammates. Their raps were about being unfairly judged, but they had done the same thing to her, not even stopping to think about their own hypocrisy.

“Rapping for the first time on broadcast, how are you feeling, Chanyeon?” Dojung addressed her.

"Uh… firstly, I’m very glad I didn’t mess up my lyrics or anything like that,” Chanyeon said slowly, smiling sheepishly. “I do have an interest in rap, and I’m glad that I was able to show that to the viewers just in case I, um…” she trailed off, looking up at the lights to try and stop more tears from coming down. However, Chanyeon failed miserably, but she smiled through her tears. “I’m glad I was able to show my rap, even if it was only just once.”

“I’m sure the audience enjoyed your performance.” Dojung nodded. He looked toward the audience, “Vote for your girl. The nation’s producers’ on-scene voting begins right now!” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Seyun didn't know how exactly it had happened, but she had ended up winning her position evaluation. She didn’t just win for her team though, she also won the overall evaluation. It was insane, something she'd never experienced before. A rush of excitement and confidence flew into her, and she felt tears come to her eyes as she saw her name appear on the screen above Baehee's when the rankings had been completed. The other girl had given her a bright grin of congratulations, clapping proudly for the youngest contestant left on the show.

The three screens then changed once again to show all three positions, vocal, rap, and dance, together along with the three respective winners.

“Vocal, Individual Trainee Kim Jonghae.” The girl grinned from ear to ear as the trainees applauded. It had been a close competition between her and Kyungsoon, but the individual trainee had managed to pull ahead by a mere nine votes.

“Rap, Genius Entertainment's Park Chanyeon." Chanyeon's face was bright, and her toothy smile was wide and giddy as she relished in the moment of victory. She knew that she had created an image akin to the show’s resident indie trainee, but Chanyeon had never been one to fit into molds. She had delivered an emotional performance that had left all eyes watching glistening with tears. Diss raps weren't really her thing, but she had been so emotionally driven when writing the raps that all her feelings of bitterness and sadness about the unfair treatment had poured out.

“Dance, Genius Entertainment's Oh Seyun.” When Dojung announced her name, Seyun really did cry. She couldn't help herself. Since the competition had started, she hadn't felt like she was really worth anything or that she deserved to be there. She felt like she had been moving along in the competition not because she deserved it, but because more popular trainees had taken a liking to her.

Now, it was different. Maybe she had actually done something worthwhile while she had been at her company. Maybe she was actually good at this. She felt someone nudge her back, and she turned to see Seulgi giving her an encouraging nod and a proud smile before pointing to the row of trainees who had competed in the rap evaluation. Seyun looked to see Chanyeon grinning at her from ear to ear, her pride evident as she loudly applauded her best friend. She couldn’t help but smile back, blushing brilliantly.

Maybe she was finally figuring out what kind of idol she wanted to be.

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Nate] ‘Nation’s Nine’ Shocking results for best dancer and best rapper titles**

_Bang Bang ended up being a team kill kekeke They were all too talented_

_Baehee acknowledged that Jongmi or Yixiu should have won instead of her, she’s surprisingly humble about her skills  
       +She’s not from a company, remember? She wouldn’t be arrogant around actual trainees_

_The Genius girls were seriously amazing this week_

_Jongmi is such a great dancer TT-TT I wish she had gotten more votes_

_Seyun’s lines are so pretty, once her singing gets better she’ll be a real threat_

_Baehee proved she’s more than her high notes_

_Chanyeon seemed like she belonged in an indie band when she started on the show, but now I hope people vote for her a lot TT0TT_

_Seyun… seriously amazing, I can’t believe she’s so young_

_The standouts in the Bang Bang team were Yixiu, Jongmi, and Baehee for sure_  

 

 

 

☆

 

 

After they had been dismissed, Baehee engulfed Jonghae in a hug, “Congrats! I'm so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Baehee~!” Jonghae chimed in return. “And seriously, thanks for picking Dance. You could have easily beaten me in the votes for Vocal, I know it.”

“No, you don’t know that,” Baehee snorted. “Seriously, I've been saying this since the first day of filming. You’re just as talented as I am, and it's about time everyone else started to notice it too.” She rolled her eyes, “And I didn't pick dance just so you could thrive.” She gave a small sigh, “All anyone has been talking about when they talk about me is ‘Into the New World.’ I’m glad people think I did well, but I'm _not_ glad that people think I only have high notes." She gave a pout, “I've worked too hard at teaching myself how to dance to just be recognized as a vocalist, I want it all.”

“Well, I doubt anyone can say all you have is your voice, don't worry,” Kyungsoon said with a snort as she joined the other two “I’ve been reading articles about the show, and almost every single person says that you're the most well-rounded trainee here.”

“That's because they're sleeping on like, half the trainees on the show, like you.” Baehee looked to Kyungsoon, "Seriously, Soon, I'm glad you're finally getting attention for your voice instead of your visuals.” She winked, “You are cute though, don’t worry! You deserved to be the center for ‘Pick Me.’”

“Speaking of well-rounded trainees, Lu Huan is amazing," Kyungsoon said. “I can't imagine coming to another country and still kicking ass on a survival show.”

“Uh yeah, she's like the queen of China or something,” Jonghae said. “But China has to have two queens because Yixiu? She's so cool, and she was straight fire in Bang Bang.”

"Yeah, I for sure thought she was going to win, no offense Baehee."

Baehee laughed, loudly and freely, “I didn't think I was going to win either, but I guess people really do have my back into his competition.” She then grew noticeably quiet. “…I need to go. I'll see you guys back at the house.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Jongmi, I don't want to say I told you so because you're in a lot pain right now, but I swear to everything holy in this world that I told you so,” Junmae hissed, “ _multiple times_.” She had known the very second that something was wrong when Jongmi’s face had changed during the ‘Bang Bang’ stage. It was only a slight change, but Junmae had known the other girl long enough to recognize when she put on a mask. Her stomach had dropped when, after the performance, she saw Baehee and Yixiu carefully helping her back into the room, and she wanted to throw up when she saw that a cameraman had been following her journey there.

Junmae prayed that those clips wouldn't make it into the final cut.

“I know, I fucking know, okay?” Jongmi groaned as Junmae massaged her waist with a pain relief gel. “I went too hard, and I'm paying the price for it. I didn't listen to anyone when they told me to stop during practice, and I'm paying the price for it.” She hissed in pain as the older girl hit a particularly sensitive spot. “I worked my ass off, still couldn’t beat Byun Baehee’s popularity, _and_ I messed up my waist again… I fucked up, and I’m paying the price for it.”

“Baehee didn’t even win overall, Seyun did,” Junmae said quietly.

“Good, she deserves it,” Jongmi huffed.

“Jongmi? Junmae-eonnie?” Baehee’s voice carried throughout the bathroom as she wandered towards them. “The last car is going to leave soon…” Her voice trailed off when she found them, and her eyes widened, “Shit, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jongmi muttered.

Junmae rolled her eyes, “No, she’s _not_ fine, she’s a stubborn idiot.”

“Uh, is there anything I can do?” Baehee asked. She gestured back in the direction she came in, “I can go get Jonghae or Huan-eonnie or Yixiu-eonnie or… someone, anyone, I don’t know who really, to come help you get to the car? And then I’ll carry all of our bags and stuff?” She nervously looked at the way Jongmi’s muscles seemed to twitch in protest before her eyes flickered up to Junmae, “Seriously, just tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it.”

“Baehee-eonnie, Chanyeon-eonnie said you need hurry if you don’t want to miss… Jongmi?” Seyun stopped at the opening, eyes wide. “Are… are you okay? Well, you’re obviously not but,” she quickly corrected herself with a shake of the head, and her voice became small, “are you going to be?”

Jongmi gave a small smile, “I’ll be fine, Seyun. This happens all the time.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Seyun frowned in reply.

Baehee nodded, “Yeah, have you seen a doctor yet?” When Junmae answered for her, silently shaking her head, Baehee’s eyes widened, “How have you not seen a doctor? You can barely walk!”

“Kim Jongmi, I don’t doubt your desire to debut is strong, but you should be conscious of your health.” The girls all froze as Boa walked into the bathroom. “Baehee, Seyun, Junmae, the last van is waiting to take you back to the house.” She frowned, “I’ll be taking Jongmi from here.”

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“I can’t believe they put a [band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-1TGNmQqZA) concept in,” Chanyeon said as she tuned her guitar. She laughed, “Especially after my company evaluation…”

The third evaluation they would be going through was a concept evaluation, and to Chanyeon, it was a major surprise to see idol bands as one of the concepts. She definitely wasn’t going to complain about it though, and she easily made her way to the designated room. There weren’t many girls inside their room to begin with, but Chanyeon was okay with that. As long as they had enough instrumentalists to get through the stage, she really didn’t mind.

“What happens if we get eliminated though?” Yerin asked, sitting at the drum set. “’Cause I mean, you’re the only other drummer here, but you _can’t_ be the drummer because you’re the automatic center, and it’s kind of hard to make a drummer the center.”

“…I’m sure I moved up from dead last,” Chanyeon said after a moment. She nodded to herself, “There’s no way I’m getting eliminated. I got a hundred thousand extra points.”

“You’ll be fine,” Yixiu assured her. “Even if you hadn’t have gotten the benefit, you still won a lot of people over with your rap, so I bet you moved up regardless.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“[Yum Yum~](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ZwBv6l9kE)” Baehee was making faces at Seyun. “Come on~!” When the other girl was unresponsive, Baehee pouted, “You really need to cheer up, Seyunnie. You suit your concept, you really do! Innocent lyrics and amazing choreography, that’s literally you in a song,” she insisted. “Plus you’re the center again!”

Seyun had originally tried to join the Trap Pop concept Baehee was in, but the Genius trainee had been booted from the room after the max trainee amount had been reached. She had eventually found an empty spot in Girlish Dance concept, but despite her boost in confidence from winning the position evaluation, Seyun had been trying to avoid that concept. The demo had sounded vocal heavy, and Seyun wasn’t sure had the voice to get her through the song.

Despite Baehee’s concern, the evaluation wasn’t the only thing on Seyun’s mind. “It’s not the song,” she said with a sigh. “No one’s seen Jongmi since the position evaluation.”

“Oh.” Baehee’s mood immediately went down, “I’m sure she’s fine…”

“Baehee-eonnie, she could barely _walk_ ,” Seyun reminded the other. “Why did they let her onto the show if she was so injured?”

The individual trainee shook her head in reply, “I don’t know. She passed the medical exam, but I couldn’t tell you how she did it.”

“I passed that exam fair and square.” Seyun’s eyes widened at the voice and she looked towards the door. Junmae was rolling Jongmi into the room, the younger Crown trainee sitting comfortably in a wheel chair. She gave Baehee and Seyun a small wave, “Hey, guys…”

“Uh, can you be here right now?” Baehee asked, her eyes finding it difficult to leave the wheelchair. “Like, are you here to stay, or are you just here to say goodbye?”

 

  

 

☆

 

 

“From now, I will announce the top nine trainees that have been decided by the nation’s producers,” Dojung announced. “The differences from the first rank begin with ninth place.” He glanced at the cue card briefly, “She is a trainee who’s captured the hearts of the national producers with her contrasting appearance and personality. With traditional Slytherin visuals and an eye smile that will brighten anyone’s day, she took six hundred thirty-five thousand, nine hundred ninety-one votes.” He paused briefly, “Genius Entertainment’s Oh Seyun.”

Jaws dropped at not only the amount of votes, but also the recipient of the votes. They had already seen miracles happen at Chanyeon moving up from 51st place to a comfortable 15th, but Seyun’s rank was a reminder of just how beneficial the extra points were. Dojung had singled the trainee out weeks earlier because her previous rank would have sent her home. Many of the trainees cheered her on as she walked to stand on the platform, Chanyeon making sure she was the loudest of them all. Slightly embarrassed by the older girl, Seyun quickly received a microphone and prepared to speak.

However, before Seyun could say a few words about her ranking, Dojung continued on, “Although Seyun received the benefit for placing first in the position evaluation, this was not enough for her to place ninth. Why then is Oh Seyun standing in ninth?” His face took on a serious expression, “It’s unfortunate, but I have to announce the withdrawal of one of the youngest trainee on the show and the trainee who initially placed ninth in the second ranking, Crown Entertainment’s Kim Jongmi.”

“During the ‘Bang Bang’ stage in which she received numerous praise for, Jongmi suffered an injury to her waist and was taken to the hospital,” Dojung explained. “For the sake of her health, Jongmi will be leaving the show to properly heal.” He looked to Seyun, “Only able to call herself an eonnie to Seyun, Jongmi has continuously awed the viewers with her impressive skill at such a young age. Seyun, how do you feel about placing in the top nine due to Jongmi’s withdrawal?”

“I… I really think that Jongmi-eonnie deserves to be in the top nine instead of me,” she began. “Even though I won the position evaluation, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her during the ‘Bang Bang’ stage. She was amazing, but I could tell she was in pain,” Seyun admitted. “I’m really glad Eonnie is going to take time to heal her waist, and I’ll do the best I can to debut in her place.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ narrows down to 33 trainees**

_Jongmi TT-TT_

_I didn’t realize Seyun and Jongmi were so young. Jongmi has such an injury at her age…_

_Jongmi, please take time to heal and debut when you’re ready, Oppa will wait for you TT-TT_

_She’s only a 00-liner, but she always put on such good performances, Jongmi will definitely go far if she heals and gets to debut. I heard a terrible rumor about Crown though…_

_Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan, I want those three to be the centers with Baehee as the main_

_Heol… the idol industry is so messy if children are getting these kinds of injuries before they even debut_

_I don’t know if they were close, but I hope Seyun can debut in place of Jongmi_

_Chanyeon seriously went up in the ranking this time, her rap really touched people_

_Lu Huan’s debut is basically ensured? She didn’t get a benefit, yet she still ranked 4th_

_Baehee is slowly falling, I hope she can reclaim first place_

  

 

 

☆

 

 

Lu Huan really liked working with Minseon.

This late in the show, almost all of the older trainees had been eliminated. The Chinese girl had never really considered herself to be old, but it was obvious that high school-aged trainees were the viewers’ favorites. Lu Huan might have been a college student sitting in a comfortable fourth place, but she was also well aware she looked about as young as Seyun actually was. The concept of ahjussi fans supporting younger girl groups had always been in the back of her mind, but seeing it for herself on the show was something entirely different.

“Old men are perverts,” Minseon had said with a derisive snort when Lu Huan had shared her observation. “No matter what country you’re in, that will never change.”

“And _this_ is why you hate innocent concepts.”

Minseon nodded, “I didn’t always hate them, but when I realized I’m not about fulfilling creepy fantasies for fans more than twice my age, the allure kind of wore off.” Minseon shrugged, “I can’t trust them unless I know the lyrics.”

“So you chose to do ‘Fingertips’ based on the lyrics?” Lu Huan wore an amused smirk.

“At least it’s obvious,” Minseon pointed out. “I’m not exactly looking forward to getting back into my old school uniform.”

“You're nineteen,” Lu Huan rolled her eyes.

“I suddenly realize why you and Yixiu are such good friends.” It was Minseon’s turn for an amused smirk. “You both think in Chinese and speak in Korean.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ On the Fingertips of the Oldest Eonnies**

_[Lu Huan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOX88_wG23M) just keeps getting better each week, she’s amazing_

_I want your love~~ I want your love~~_

_[Minseon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op2SqvXx2us) is a total girl crush since day one_

_It’s a shame they had to suffer because of the mistakes of one of their main vocals, they did their best to carry their team_

_Don’t worry, Oppa will alternate voting for each of you_

_I seriously can’t believe Lu Huan’s Chinese, her looks are totally my style…_

_The 96-line eonnies are seriously amazing, the ultimate girl crushes_

_Minseon-nuna can do whatever she wants with me…_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“It does kind of suck that all three of us are separated for the evaluation,” Yixiu said, “but I hope if one of us can win, it’ll be you, Kyungsoon.”

“I would ask you why you have no faith in yourself, but I know how badly received band concepts are,” Minseon replied with a snort.

The three SPY trainees were taking their sweet time to reunite with each other. It wasn’t like one of them had left the show or they never saw each other again, but it was kind of weird to go from training together for years to training with strangers. The different feeling was rather hard to ignore, and the three found themselves wanting to be together more than usual, even though they still saw each other every day.

“Even if you don’t win, Yixiu-eonnie, I bet all the viewers will see how talented you are,” Kyungsoon gave a sure nod.

“Aww, you’re sweet, Soon, but I’m definitely expecting a drop in rank,” Yixiu admitted. “It’s bound to happen, but I’ll just take it in stride.” Band concepts were only well received if they played live, and Yixiu’s team had yet to hear back on whether or not they would have to pre-record their playing. It was an annoying situation to be in because she knew that it was important, but she wouldn’t complain.

“Honestly, Kyungsoon has the best chance of winning out of the three of us,” Minseon made a face. “My team’s concept is Girl Crush, but the same can be said about most of the concepts.” She shrugged, “Your concept might be R&B, but you’ve got a really good song.”

When Kyungsoon had first heard ‘[The Light](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-cOZgaotPY&spfreload=5),’ had been touched by the lyrics and what they represented. She couldn’t help but compare it to her debut song evaluation, and she liked it infinitely more. Instead of focusing on a confession, the song focused more about being there for your friends when nobody else would. Combined with the R&B style Kyungsoon was more than comfortable with, the SPY maknae wished that this was her actual debut song.

 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s 9’ Do Kyungsoon’s honey vocals show viewers the light**

_Kyungsoon is seriously well-rounded. She can sing and dance well, she has great visuals, and her personality is good. SPY hit the jackpot with her, she better be debuting soon_

_Debut right this second, I’m tired of waiting_

_I prefer this image to the innocent image she had for APink. Kyungsoon has natural aegyo, she doesn’t need an innocent concept to try and force it out_

_I’m glad Kyungsoon is getting exposure on this show, but I wish she would debut…_

_Kyungsoon should have gotten the benefit… In the Same Place had a shock factor and the song fits the current trend, that’s the reason why it won._

_Please keep supporting Kyungsoon! The votes are resetting before the next ranking and elimination, so no one is safe!_

_Kyungsoon has so much emotion in her voice_

_‘The Light’ really should have been first, the song has so much meaning for our country_

 

  

 

☆

 

 

“Seyun, you’re sounding better each time we practice,” Junmae praised. The two trainees were taking a small break with Jonghae before they continued to practice with the rest of their team for the evaluation. “And Jonghae, you’re getting the choreography in ways I never thought possible when I first saw your stage.”

Jonghae did a little victory dance, “Seyunnie has been helping me since the very beginning, I only have her to thank.”

“I don’t have anything to do with it, Eonnie,” Seyun blushed, shaking her head. “You never took a lesson before, but that didn’t mean you’re bad at learning.” When Jonghae looked like she was about to protest, Seyun continued, “You’re comparing yourself to other people that have been training for years. You really should give yourself more credit.”

“The baby speaks the truth,” Junmae nodded sagely. “However, the baby is also forgetting how much she’s improved since the first evaluation, so she might be deflecting my compliment, no matter how cute she is.”

“I’m not deflecting your compliment,” Seyun pouted. “I just don’t think I deserve it.”

Junmae gave her a look, “After we go through this evaluation, after we _win_ this evaluation, try to say you’re not deflecting, I dare you.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ trainees form bands and become ultimate girl crushes**

_Don’t lose faith, Chanyeon and Yixiu! You showed off your talents well!_

_Yum Yum team… I thought they were going to win for sure, Baehee was so good TTATT_

_[Seyun’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jznJv4KSaJk) ending pose… don’t cry, Oppa will always vote for you TT-TT _

_Minseon-nuna… seriously amazing…  
       +She’s a monolid beauty_

_Minseon and Lu Huan were amazing in ‘Fingertips,’ they looked like your cool eonnie_

_Yixiu was really cool this week, Chanyeon too! I hope they don’t drop TT-TT_

_Was Seyun always this good at singing? All I remember is that she has a lisp half the time_

_[Jonghae’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLAweqK6ZAk) high notes are always so refreshing_

_[Junmae’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urjxrl1rXAo)voice suits songs like these_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Chanyeon really wondered what she did to deserve standing on that plastic platform, a camera on her yet again as Dojung announced she was on the borderline with another trainee for the second time, her fellow bandmate being the trainee this time. Yixiu was hardly ranked any higher than her, sitting at 14th place, the rest of their bandmates already eliminated. If she could slide in at 18th place, she would be eternally grateful, but the Genius trainee was incredibly jealous of Minseon’s slightly safer ranking of 17th. She was tired of always having her life on the line. It wasn’t good for her health.

Even more than Minseon though, Chanyeon was jealous of the top three. Despite not winning the concept evaluation, Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan were an unshakable force at the top. Seyun sat at fourth place due to once again winning a point benefit, but with a gap of almost 100,000 points, Lu Huan had easily taken third place. Even more amazing was that Kyungsoon had fallen to second, and Baehee had risen to first with almost 400,000 votes accumulated in a week.

It was amazing how the power of individual votes was shown after the reset. Company alliances were moot, and the rankings were expected to change and favor the most popular members, but no one had expected Baehee to return to where she had been at the end of the first episode, including the individual trainee. Chanyeon had watched with a proud smile as the individual trainee broke down in to tears, crouching on her spot on the platform when Dojung had announced she was first. She had continually worked her ass off, and the Genius trainee would easily admit she deserved it.

“Not only is it the battle of the instrumentalists, it’s the battle of the Parks,” Dojung read. “Genius Entertainment’s Park Chanyeon and YK Entertainment’s Park Yerin.”

“With twenty-one thousand, five hundred sixty-three votes, which Park will move on to the final stage?”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[TV Daily] ‘Nation’s Nine’ has final eliminations before last stage**

_I had no idea individual votes had this much of an effect, the gap between Kyungsoon and the other SPY trainees was insane._

_Chanyeon and Yixiu TT-TT_

_Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Lu Huan are seriously amazing, none of them got the benefit, but they’re all on top_

_Jonghae has been a steady contender all because of her voice TT-TT As long as she makes it into the final lineup, I’m pleased_

_Baehee’s fans all came out to vote after the reset kekeke_

_Lu Huan’s popularity is undeniable, looks like there will be foreigners in Korea’s national girl group kekeke_

_Chanyeon was saved again, but please vote for her! She deserves to debut!_

_Junmae has been quietly rising all this time, I’m proud she finally broke the top nine_

_I guess most of Jonghae’s votes were because of Baehee? I thought she had a lot YouTube fans…_  
      _\+ They both have a lot of fans online, but Jonghae originally had less_  
_\+ Jonghae’s fans are also likely to be Baehee’s fans, so fans had to pick between them_

_Kyungsoon will always be the center in my heart TT-TT_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

Jonghae sat on her bed, the night before their final stage. In less than twenty-four hours, her fate would be decided. Honestly, she didn’t think that she would make it as far as she had. There were a lot of trainees represented by companies that could hit the same notes she could, but they had already been sent home. “The number keeps getting smaller and smaller…”

“And the three of us are still here,” Lu Huan said with a smile.

“Yep, and we’re going to last until the very end,” Baehee grinned. “Jonghae finally broke the top nine, so I’m more sure of this now than ever.”

“I was still only eighth with the extra points,” Jonghae pointed out. “I could drop any time.”

Baehee shook her head. “It would be insane not to put you in the group. Your voice is unlike any other. Plus, you’re cute. People always vote for the cute ones.” She winked at the girl, “I’m first, aren’t I?”

  

 

 

☆

 

 

“How does it feel to be knocked off your throne?” Minseon joked as she slid on her faux school blazer. The live show was about to start, and while she was nervous, she was also excited to stand on the stage again. To be in the final eighteen was a huge accomplishment, but Minseon was ready to prove that she deserved more, that she deserved to debut.

“Absolutely amazing.” If Kyungsoon was being honest, she preferred second place. There was a lot less pressure on her now that Baehee was first. The SPY maknae didn’t really care about where she ranked if she was being honest, she just wanted to debut. Even if she ranked ninth, she would be grateful to have made the cut. There was sure to be massive shock, but Kyungsoon couldn’t bring herself to be bothered by that.

Yixiu wore an amused smile as she put on her mic pack, “For someone who hates getting attention, you sure do attract a lot of it.”

“I think it’s the lips,” Minseon said thoughtfully, looking at the girl’s face. “Our Kyungsoon has some of the most beautiful lips in South Korea.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“Seyunnie, you don’t want to forget your mic pack,” Chanyeon said, tucking it into the girl’s shorts multi-color shorts carefully. She gave the girl a soft smile, “We need to be able to hear that pretty voice of yours.”

“I wish we were on the same team,” Seyun pouted. While she was wearing a black crop top, Chanyeon was dressed opposite her in a white one. They had chosen their teams and positions by ranking, and since Chanyeon had gone first, she was bound to get moved around. The two Genius trainees had done their best to stick together, and when Seyun had picked her position and team, the two had both been on the black team. However, Lu Huan had quickly moved Chanyeon to the rap position on the white team, put Seyun in Chanyeon’s old position on the black team and claimed Seyun’s sub-vocal position.

“But at least my rap leads into yours,” Chanyeon focused on the bright side. “We bridge the gap between our teams.”

“It’s not the same, Chanyeon-eonnie,” Seyun pouted even more.

“Can I be a good enough replacement?” Junmae asked. The Crown trainee was wearing a black overall dress with multi-color straps. “I’m not nearly as tall, but I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll have you know that I am irreplaceable,” Chanyeon hugged Seyun close to her. “Our nickname is Se-eob-Chan, there is no room for Jun.”

“There is when we’re on the same team,” Junmae chimed before taking Seyun’s hand. “You’ve got to go get into position, Chan.”

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[Naver] ‘Nation’s Nine’ The nation makes a final decision**

_This group has solid vocals, solid dancers, solid visuals and even solid instrumentalists… they’re set kekeke do well, Eunha Sonyeo!_

_Baehee, Kyungsoon, and Jonghae are all amazing vocals_

_Princess of China, Lu Huan, is here to bless us all_

_Chanyeon can sing and harmonize well, she can rap well, and she plays lots of instruments. She deserved to make the final lineup  
       +I’m so thankful TT-TT_

_All their visuals are great, and they’re all talented, I have no complaints_

_Wow… never would have thought individual trainees would survive until the very end_

_Junmae’s words about Jongmi TToTT_

_Seyun’s visuals really are no joke, she’s a great dancer, and her voice is soft and sweet, I don’t know if I can handle her promotions TT-TT_

_Yixiu, Seyun, and Minseon are a solid dance line, I hope their debut showcases them well_

_Lu Huan and Yixiu are foreigners, but no one can complain because they’re talented_

 

 

 

☆

 

 

“You’re terminating our contracts?”

Minseon, Kyungsoon, and Yixiu sat inside their company CEO’s office, faces displaying pure shock. It was a week after the competition had ended, and they had just begun preparing for their debut with the rest of Eunha Sonyeo. The three had been excited to finally debut and promote in a group, but it seemed like their world was crashing down around them.

Their CEO nodded, “It’s unfortunate, but it is for the best. SPY will be debuting a new girl group in two months to capitalize on the success from the show, but the three of you cannot take part in the group due to your contracts.”

“But we were the three trainees that you sent on the show,” Minseon protested. “If a new girl group debuts from under this company, people are going to be looking for _us_.”

“I’ll be honest,” the CEO sighed, “I never expected for you to make the final group, and I had hoped to debut you after you were eliminated. The other girls you usually train with have been learning the songs and choreography while you were gone.”

“We can’t debut in the group, but everyone else who _can_ debut is ready to,” Yixing pieced it together, “so we’re cut from the lineup.”

“There are enough girls that it’s not awkward, so there’s no problem,” Kyungsoon said quietly. “Why are our contracts being terminated though?”

“Because it’s going to be a long time before we debut in another group if we stay,” Minseon answered for the CEO. “We’ll probably be too old for whatever group debuts by then.” She had been afraid she would eventually leave SPY, but she never thought that it would happen in this way. She never thought that she would be kicked out of the company that she had been a part of for four long years. All because their CEO hadn’t believed they would win enough votes to debut.

“Minseon is correct,” the CEO nodded. “This isn’t simply a contract termination, it’s a way for you to still debut in your prime without being tied to this company. I acknowledge that I’m putting you in an awkward position, so I’ll be releasing you from your contracts when your promotions as members of Eunha Sonyeo are over.”

What was even worse was that the next SPY girl group would be hyped up by their success on the show, and they wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits. They wouldn’t have a company backing them when it was all over… they had nowhere to go when Eunha Sonyeo disbanded.

 

 

 

☆

 

 

The rest of the year had been a rush of songs and promotions. The girl group formally known as Eunha Sonyeo had been worked to the fullest, appearing on variety show after variety show to promote two mini albums and three digital singles. After their promotions had ended, the nation’s girl group had gathered together for a disbandment party two days after Christmas to say their final, tear-filled goodbyes. They started on a live stream in which each of the girls had thanked the viewers for all of their support over the course of the year, played games, and talked about the bond they had formed and the memories they had made. The stream ended with Minseon giving their final thanks as the leader of Eunha Sonyeo, but the night had just begun.

Once the cameras had been turned off, the nine girls continued to talk about all that had happened behind the scenes on their year long journey. They had become something akin to a family, going to member graduations and meeting each other’s siblings (it was a general consensus that Seyun’s older brother was _incredibly_ attractive and Baehee’s older brother was a close second). They were sad that it was all coming to an end, and the tears continued to fall no matter what they were talking about.

Baehee sighed, “From almost a hundred girls to nine…it’s still amazing to me.” She shook her head, trying to hold back more tears, “I can’t believe we were the ones to last until the very end.”

“It’s insane,” Jonghae agreed, wiping stray tears. She gave a watery smile, “I guess it’s time to go back to making covers in my bedroom.”

“I guess it’s time for me to start a channel,” Kyungsoon laughed halfheartedly. She looked to Minseon and Yixiu hopefully, “Do you want to make one together? I really don’t want to do this alone. I’m too used to performing with you.”

Kyungsoon’s words served as a bitter reminder that the three wouldn’t be returning to their company come the next morning. When SPY had announced plans for a new girl group made up of both Korean and Chinese girls in the middle of Eunha Sonyeo’s second mini-album promotions, the rest of the girls had been shocked to find out that Minseon, Yixiu, and Kyungsoon had been dropped by their company in exchange for the hype they had created. It was shrewd business move, and it spoke more of the entertainment industry than the malicious editing on the show ever would.

“Definitely,” Yixiu was earnest in her reply. “Even though we met in SPY, it wasn’t the reason we became friends.”

“Besides, Yixiu and I wouldn’t leave our baby all alone,” Minseon teased, her eyes shining with tears. She looked to the actual maknae of the group, “No offense.”

“There is only one baby of the group, and that baby is me,” Seyun pouted from her place snuggled comfortably in Chanyeon’s arms. “Kyungsoon-eonnie is an imposter.”

“I still remember you saying how you weren’t a little kid when we first met,” Jonghae laughed. “It’s nice to see that you’ve come around to the idea.” When Seyun stuck her tongue out in reply, Jonghae’s smile only widened, but it also grew sad. “I have to thank you again for helping me with the choreography when we were on the show, I probably wouldn’t have lasted if you hadn’t.” She looked at the rest of the girls, “We all helped each other out, didn’t we? It’s like we were destined to become a group.”

“I’m glad it was us,” Minseon said, “I’m glad the nine of us got to debut. I honestly thought that this show was my last chance to prove to our CEO that I was ready to debut, but it looks like it was actually my last chance to debut, period.” She paused, the weight of her words settling on top of herself. She had done what she had jokingly said she wanted to do, debut before she turned twenty-five. However, she would most likely be retiring before she hit twenty-two. She swallowed thickly, “It’s okay though, I’m just glad that I could meet you guys. We all have to stay in touch, okay?” the former leader said, “No matter where we end up, we’ll all support each other.”

“Of course,” Baehee nodded earnestly, “And we can do collabs on each other’s channels! It’ll be kind of hard because Jonghae and I aren’t from anywhere near Seoul, but we can make it work… we’ll definitely make it work, I know we will.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, snuggled up together, not wanting the moment to end. All nine knew that would eventually have to though. They were leaving the dorms the next day, and none of them had finished packing yet. They had purposely been dragging the process out, but they knew they had to get to it eventually. Minseon was the first one to drag her body up the stairs to the room she shared with Lu Huan and Yixiu, and Chanyeon soon followed, taking Seyun by the hand and leading the girl to the room they shared with Junmae.

“Uh, guys?” Chanyeon called the rest of the girls, “There’s another bed in here that I swear wasn’t here this morning!”

“Junmae finally cleaned up all her stuff?” Lu Huan asked with a snort as she walked over to their doorway. “It’s about time, we’re going to be evicted tomor—what the hell?” Eyes wide, the Chinese girl raced over to the staircase, “Minseon! There’s seriously another bed in there!”

Minseon came over to the staircase and looked down at the other, thoroughly confused, “Our beds are different. Why are our beds different?”

“I’m just gonna…” Baehee booked it to the room she shared with Kyungsoon and Jonghae and opened the door. With wide eyes, she stared at the changes that had been made. While there wasn’t an extra bed, the beds and bedding had been changed from the thin white frames and inconspicuous sheets that had been there that morning to a much sturdier wood and a disturbing lack of sheets. Their personal blankets, pillows, and fan gifts remained intact, but as far as Baehee could tell, all of the YMC furnishings were gone. She walked back into the living room to see the rest of the girls gathered back together. “Um… what is happening, and when did it start?”

“We were out of the dorms for a few hours earlier today, so that’s probably when they changed out the beds?” Junmae guessed. They hadn’t gone into their rooms when they had come back because their stylists had immediately started getting them ready for their goodbye stream, and their manager had brought food for them to eat while they were waiting.

“But if YMC is cleaning all their beds and stuff out, why couldn’t they just wait until tomorrow?” Chanyeon blinked owlishly, “We still need to have somewhere to sleep.”

“And why is there an extra bed?” Seyun asked in confusion. “Most apartments don’t just have ten beds lying around.”

“Maybe they’re getting it ready for the next season?” Kyungsoon guessed. “I read some articles last week saying they started recording for it already, and the final group is supposed to have more members.” She made a face, “I think some netizens were saying that Mnet was trying to make us too much like Girls' Generation with our member count.”

“… So they’re going with an even bigger number?” Jonghae raised a brow. “I figured they’d try to create the next 2NE1 for the second season.”

Yixiu shrugged, “Big groups are the trend right now.”

“I still don’t get why they had to take our sheets… we would have washed them in the morning if they had asked us to,” Minseon rolled her eyes.

“We can have a sleepover here in the living room,” Seyun suggested, “It’s our last night, and even if YMC hadn’t taken our sheets, I’d want to spend it with you guys.”

Lu Huan tilted her head upwards, blinking rapidly, “Just when I thought I was done crying, our baby has to go and make me start all over again.” She enveloped the younger girl in a hug, “Of course we can have a sleepover, Seyunnie.”

The girls went to work, bringing all of their blankets and pillows into the living room, and in the middle of the process, the doorbell started to ring. Minseon wandered over to the door with a raised brow, “Uh, no one ordered chicken, right?” When she heard chorus of negative answers, she became wary. It was close to ten o’clock at night, who could possibly be at their door? Praying it wasn’t a sasaeng, she looked out the peephole. “… Um, why is the Genius CEO here?”

“Hah?” Chanyeon looked over to the door from the pillow fort she was creating, “Bae Haneul-seonsaengnim?”

“Yeah…” Minseon trailed off as she opened the door. “Seonsaengnim, hello,” she gave the woman a respectful bow. The rest of the girls hurried over to greet the CEO, most of them considering the woman to be a living legend.

Haneul smiled warmly at them, “Good evening, girls. I’m sorry to interrupt, but Nam Hojin-ssi and I had planned to speak with you all.” She gave a quick glance around the room, “It seems that I’ve beaten him here… Just a second,” the nine girls watched as she called the Crown Entertainment CEO. “... Are you close?” She turned towards the door, “I see, I’ll begin without you then. Let me know when you get here… Yes, I understand… Okay, bye.” She walked over to one of the chairs in the living room, carefully avoiding the spread of pillows and blanks with an amused smile. Sitting down, she set her large handbag next to the chair and looked at the girls, “Take a seat, let’s have a conversation.”

They trailed over to the couch quietly and sat down, wondering what the CEO could possibly have to tell them since her company only managed two of them.

“Today is the official end of your promotions as Eunha Sonyeo, a girl group that was chosen by Korea even if some of the members didn’t call the country their home,” she gave Lu Huan and Yixiu pointed looks before chuckling. “I remembered when Rebelle disbanded… we’d been together for four years, but I hadn’t wanted it to end. I knew that I would keep in touch with the rest of the members, and yet, that wasn’t enough for me. I wouldn’t only miss them, I would miss standing on stage.” She looked at the girls, “It’s the same for you all, right? Living together for nine months and promoting together for eight, it’s obvious that you’ll miss each other, but your time on the stage was also too short. You can always meet up with friends, but promotions are different.” She nodded to herself, “That’s why I went solo.”

A vibration then came from Haneul’s handbag, and she took her phone out, “Mm… he’ll be pulling up in a few more minutes. Perfect.” She sent a quick reply before looking to one of the foreign girls, “Lu Huan… what’s your current situation if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um, well, I’m a student at Seoul Arts, and honestly… that’s about it.” she replied slowly. “My company released me from my contract when I signed one with YMC after the show ended.” She looked to the CEO, “I’ve always wanted to join a Korean company, and Ringleader accepted that. I’ll start going to auditions again in the new year.”

“Mm… I see…” Haneul nodded in understanding. “Would you like to join Genius?”

“Would I— _what_?” Lu Huan stared at the woman in shock. “Are you serious?”

“I have six contracts in my handbag and one of them is for you,” Haneul smiled. She took out six folders, and suddenly the girls understood why her handbag was so big. They were speechless as she handed the folders out. “There are two more Genius Entertainment contracts for Byun Baehee and Kim Jonghae, and there are three Crown Entertainment contracts, courtesy of Nam Hojin-ssi, for Do Kyungsoon, Zhang Yixiu and our oldest eonnie, Kim Minseon.”

“You’re inviting us to join your company?” Baehee stared down at the contract with blurry eyes before looking up at the woman. “Really?”

Haneul’s smile grew as she nodded the affirmative, and Baehee’s tears started to fall uncontrollably, tears dropping down onto the folder. She wasn’t the only one, all nine girls had begun to cry, glad that none of the members would be without a company to return to when the morning came. They could barely hear the CEO as she went on to explain that Genius Entertainment and Crown Entertainment would be pursuing a joint venture to produce a girl group they believed could become the leaders of the next generation of idols.

“The group will have ten members because we want to keep the member count balanced between each company,” Haneul continued.

“… _Ten_?” Seyun looked up, sniffling slightly. “Is that why there’s an extra bed in our room?”

“YMC’s lease on your dorm ends tomorrow, but that’s also when Crown Entertainment’s lease begins,” Haneul nodded. “They took all of their furnishing out, and we’re in the process of putting ours in.” Before she could continue, the doorbell sounded. “That should be Hojin-ssi,” she went over to the door and let the man in, but another body shuffled in after him, rolling a suitcase into the apartment. The girls all craned their heads, trying to get a glimpse of their final member.

The girl was holding a stuffed bear in her arms as she bowed, “My name is Kim Jongmi, and I’ll be debuting with all of you.” Her eyes were shining with tears as she greeted them, a smile on her face, “Please take care of me.” 

 

 

 

☆

 

 

**[enter-talk] Genius and Crown follow successes on ‘Nation’s Nine’ and reveal teasers for new girl group**

_Seriously amazing… this lineup is perfect_

_I don’t know if they’re aliens or super heroes, but I’m glad they can do something stronger than the innocent concept Eunha Sonyeo had_

_Let’s debut, Jongmimi!!_

_Baehee, Lu Huan, and Jonghae joined the same company in the end TTATT_

_Jongmi took the rest of the year to heal, and now she gets to debut! As a fan, I couldn’t be any happier._

_The class of Genius and Crown kekeke Only these companies could come up with this kind of concept for a girl group_

_So the rumors are true TT-TT_

_Jongmi can finally debut TToTT_

_The teasers they’ve been posting are amazing TT-TT Oppa will support you until the very end_

_Do well, EXO!_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Lucy for letting me bombard her with pd 101 videos and wips even though she never even watched the show, she's the real mvp!


End file.
